<p>Those expenses are personal and it's your job to pay those...the university is sort of paying for that by giving you a work-study job...
They won't show up on your bill...</p>
<p>But wasn't there a recent article in the Prince about how the university would starting offering a travel stipend to international students so they could return home over the winter break?</p>
<p>I think that might be a separate deal (independent of your finaid package, and perhaps something you have to apply for?), but since I am not international, I don't know much about that...</p>
<p>If I remember correctly after looking through the financial aid packet, they did mention something about if you live outside a 500 mile radius of Princeton, they would give you the money to travel back and forth during breaks. It should be included in your fin aid package.</p>
<p>hey I never saw that clause! Was it in the finaid package?</p>
<p>Yeah. It's in the finely printed packet that came along with the letter describing your fin aid. I think it did, because I remember going, oh wow, what if I lived outside a 500 mile radius? It might be 1000 miles, but there was definately a radius.</p>
<p>qtip, i never saw that clause either cause i just dont live 500 miles away, i live on the other side of the world! , well i will check the fin. aid package again though</p>
<p>Maybe I'm hallucinating???</p>
<p>I think you are.</p>
<p>Almost. There was an artice in the Prince, i think. Pavalon showed it to me once. It said they were debating about giving funds to internationals so they can return home in winter. I know nothing of any final decisions.</p>
<p>Ok, I'M GOING TO GO CHECK, BEFORE EVERYONE, ME, MYSELF, AND I, AND MY IMAGINARY FRIENDS ACCUSE ME OF HALLUCINATING.</p>
<p>HA FOUND IT! "Terms of Your 2005-06 Financial Aid Award: Student Budget": "If you live more than 200 miles from Princeton, we have included an allowance to help cover your travel expenses...not paid to you directly, but rather is added to your budget when we calculate need. It is intended to represent the approximate cost of two round trips."</p>
<p>Still, Princeton doesn't give you any money directly...you just have a larger "living expenses" section, so maybe you have a larger work-study amount...</p>
<p>I wouldn't know, considering that I live in NJ and the grant for NJ kids requires that Pton not give them work study.</p>
<p>The grant for NJ kids requires that they don't have work study? Why is that? I thought work study was a good thing, so you get some spending money</p>
<p>It's definitely August 26.</p>
<p>The details of the bill are available online.</p>
<p>
What do they mean by this? If they don't pay it to you, then how is it supposed to work? Maybe they expect the work study to cover it, but wages from work study aren't enough to cover the cost of your books, personal expenses, and airfare... are they?</p>
<p>That means that when they figure out how much aid they're giving you, they assume you're covering the travel. In other words:</p>
<p>Your Assets - Travel Costs = What Princeton considers your assets to be.</p>
<p>So basically, if you live further away and therefore have higher travel expenses, you appear to have less to start with, and the formula gives you more aid and expects you to pay less. But it's not like you have a "travel allowance" or get "travel reimbursement." So the travel is out of your "parent contribution," or "work-study" or however else you're paying the difference.</p>
<p>Did that make sense? (I don't know if I'm using the right terms, having not ever dealt with this, but I do understand the concept.)</p>
<p>Errr... no, that did not make sense.</p>
<p>Let's say, we have two kids with identical EFC (well... $20K), one living in NJ, and another in CA. For the first kid, COA will be (let's say) $42K. They add the travel expences (well... $1000?) to the second kid's COA, because they figure out his budget will increase due to the travel costs. </p>
<p>So, because Princeton covers 100% of need, the first kid will get the finaid packet equal to COA-EFC, or $22K. The second kid will get bigger amount, because his COA was found to be higher: his finaid will be $43K - $20K = $23K. </p>
<p>It's actually equivalent to what you said: "the formula gives you more aid and expects you to pay less". But that means that the travel cost is NOT out of your "parent contribution," or "work-study" or whatever else... Yes, Princeton does not pay for the travel directly - but the money come from the finaid packet.</p>
<p>Ahhhhh, added to the <em>budget.</em> You're right; never mind, I don't know anything.</p>