<p>How are they with finacial aid? Is it worth the money?</p>
<p>They can be fairly generous with merit aid, depending on your stats.</p>
<p>I’ve heard of a couple that got decent aid but many others that didn’t. If you have high stats, they are generous, but don’t meet full need.</p>
<p>Skids…</p>
<p>What is your situation? What are your stats? GPA? SAT/ACT scores?</p>
<p>Are you a junior in high school?</p>
<p>Fordham does NOT meet need, however it does give good scholarships to those with really high stats and/or National Merit Finalists. </p>
<p>Also, what is your family’s likely EFC? </p>
<p>How much will your parents pay each year? </p>
<p>Are they low income? (below $50k) … middle income (like $50k-80k)? … higher/middle income (like $85k - 150k),… upper income (like above $150k)? </p>
<p>Do you live in NY?</p>
<p>Do not count on Fordham being affordable…have some affordable back-ups.</p>
<p>DS has 2210 SAT and gps 3.7, and was only offered 12,500/year merit. Not enough to make it affordable for us :(.</p>
<p>My D last year (not this year) had a just-under 2100 SAT, 3.8-ish unweighted, full IB diploma and very, very interesting ECs connected to an under-populated major at Fordham and received almost $32,000 in merit from a couple of scholarships at Fordham. One biggie and one smaller related to something else – although I don’t remember the details now, I might still have the paperwork at home.</p>
<p>My son was offered free tuition because he was a NMF, very high other stats, and Val of his class. He wasn’t offered any other aid/scholarships besides the free tuition. </p>
<p>I’m curious to see what the scholarships were that Zoosermom’s D got for her stats…I’ve never seen that much given in merit for a sub 2100 SAT and non-NMF…unless maybe the scholarships were either related to major or because of community service. Is it possible that one/both of the scholarships had some kind of “need” component or some other component (like first generation, URM, grad of a Jesuit high school, etc).</p>
<p>Zoosermom…what was your D’s M+CR SAT? Fordham does weight that combo higher than overall SAT.</p>
<p>If you’re a National Merit Semifinalist, or you have a lot of need, or you have a 750+ R and 750+ M SAT, then you’ll likely get a good amount. If you don’t meet any of those criteria, then you might get some scholarship money, but not approaching the full-tuition or full-ride you would otherwise get.</p>
<p>Also, they will reconsider your financial aid and scholarships if you have a better offer from a similar school.</p>
<p>
I don’t have the paperwork here, but I can tell you that community service AND the major both came into play. I suspect (but can’t prove) that need came into it as well because I don’t recall actually having it spelled out that scholarships included a need component, so I’m speculating based on having two kids in college that year. But, based on conversations with the financial aid office at the time, I sincerely believe that the choice of major was a big factor because she had some “ta da” ECs specifically related to the major. I’m hoping that makes sense.</p>
<p>The CR & Math was 1410.</p>
<p>*I don’t have the paperwork here, but I can tell you that community service AND the major both came into play. I suspect (but can’t prove) that need came into it as well because I don’t recall actually having it spelled out that scholarships included a need component, so I’m speculating based on having two kids in college that year. But, based on conversations with the financial aid office at the time, I sincerely believe that the choice of major was a big factor because she had some “ta da” ECs specifically related to the major. I’m hoping that makes sense.</p>
<p>**
The CR & Math was 1410***</p>
<p>I think that having a 1410 M+CR does put those stats in the 98/99th percentile which does help. It sounds like the major/need/EC component played a part as well. </p>
<p>Average non-need based aid: $8,260</p>
<p>I think the above stat is the average merit scholarship given to those who actually receive a merit scholarship. Is that right?</p>
<p>*</p>
<h1>Number who applied for need-based aid: 1,466</h1>
<h1>Number who were judged to have need: 1,080</h1>
<h1>Number who were offered aid: 1,079</h1>
<h1>**Number who had full need met: 235 <a href=“and%20how%20many%20of%20these%20students%20had%20low%20need%20or%20need%20was%20filled%20with%20a%20NMF%20scholarship?”>/B</a></h1>
<h1>Average need-based scholarship or grant award: $15,417*</h1>
<p>Not much need-based aid, either…and when you consider that includes Pell/SEOG and NY TAP (for instate students), that suggests that Fordham doesn’t give a whole lot of institutional aid.</p>
<p>
</h1>
<p>Who is that one student? Did they have a need of $1?</p>
<p>
Fordham didn’t meet my need, but they came very close. It may be that way with several students. Though I did get the Semifinalist Scholarship for National Merit.</p>
<p>
Not in comparison with a lot of other schools, but some students choose it over NYU, because Fordham still offers better aid than them. But, then again, so does every other non-profit college/university.</p>
<p>
Don’t get people’s hopes up. It seems more like a crapshoot to me. DS had CR/M score 760/740.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the input!
I am a junior in highschool.
I have a 4.0. My SATS are only a 1800, but I will be taking them again.
I live in PA and my parents income is middle/higher.</p>
<p>Here are some more stats:
GPA 4.0 -top 15%
3 APs junior year
4 APs senior year
9th Grade: Honors Bio, Honors US History, Honors English,Algebra 2, Spanish 2
10th Grade: Honors Geography, Honors Chem, Honors English, Trig, Spanish 3, German 1
11th grade: AP Govt, AP English, AP Calc, Spanish 4, German 2, Honors Physics
12th grade: AP Spanish, AP English, AP Econ, AP Stats, Bio 2, Chinese,Music Tech, Art</p>
<p>Chorus 10-12</p>
<p>Extra Curriculars Include:
Dance Team & non-competitive dance (12 years)
Piano- received Superiors at Duquesne Music Festival (6 years)
Chorus- singing at the Kennedy Center this coming Memorial Day and have received superiors in competition
FBLA- 1st in the region for business communications, state qualifier (states are this coming weekend)
Student Store Manager for NHS
Key Club - Treasurer
BUGS Tutoring in all subjects
Mission trip to El Salvador! (2010)
1 year XC
Part-time job at the airport
+300 hours community service
Active in Church communitiy
Art Club
National Honors Society</p>
<p>also, I’m first generation</p>
<p>This is from about 5 years ago: my daughter had a very strong GPA & class rank, moderate (by CC standards) ACT/SAT (roughly 3.85 US GPA/ 28 ACT / 1950 SAT) – Fordham offered her just under $19,000 in grant or scholarship money. There were 2 awards, one for $7000 and another for just under $12K. I think the $7K was a merit award and the rest was need-based, but could be mistaken about that. The significant part in my mind was that Fordham’s offer was more than my d. was offered in need-based aid from U. of Chicago (a 100% need school). At the time my d. was offered that award, Fordham’s COA was about $46,700 - so with work-study & stafford loan factored in, our share would have been about $25K.</p>
<p>So that’s where I get my opinion of “can be fairly generous”. My d. had a better need-based offer from a preferred and more selective college, so we never followed up with Fordham, which we always had considered to be a safety for her. (She applied only at the last minute, after all other apps, and probably would not have applied but for the fact that Fordham’s on-line app was very easy to complete). </p>
<p>I’m also familiar with their policy toward NMF’s. But my post here is just to point out that whatever criteria they use in determining funding, a student does not necessarily need stellar test scores. </p>
<p>To Skids – while I would encourage you to work on raising your SAT score, I think with a 4.0 GPA you have a good chance of getting a reasonable amount of financial aid from Fordham. “Reasonable” does not mean “amazing” – but depending on your family circumstances, it might mean manageable. I wouldn’t bank on it but I think it would be worthwhile for you to apply to Fordham. With you parent’s income, you are probably not going to get a whole lot of need-based aid at other schools either, so it may be that a modest merit-based award from Fordham will make it an attractive school to your parents. </p>
<p>I think Fordham is an excellent college and a wonderful choice. Given the reports of others (Sylvan, Zoosermom) – I think it is very possible that Fordham strongly considers GPA and EC’s - and you certainly are impressive in that area. My d. also had some impressive EC’s, but not a lot of community service --and I don’t know if her major came into play at all. If she had to designate major as part of the app process, she probably designated international studies, and she did spend time abroad as a foreign exchange student in high school. But I don’t think that it is worth speculating. The only way you will find out is by applying and seeing what they offer. All you can tell from the anecdotal reports on CC is that Fordham is a “maybe” school in terms of award levels. If I was the one at Fordham making the decision, I’d want to offer you a reasonable merit award based on your profile, and if I was a parent with middle/higher income, I might be ecstatic over the $12.5K award that so disappointed Sylvan. The higher the FAFSA EFC, the more attractive a modest level of merit money is going to be to your parents.</p>
<p>P.S. I don’t think it’s a crapshoot. I think CC posters are way too obsessed with SAT scores, and it is obvious to me that outside of the NMF situation, Fordham is placing value on GPA, course rigor, and EC’s. </p>
<p>Anyway, you’ll never know if you don’t apply.</p>
<p>thanks calmom! My parents would appreciate the 9K-12k aid.</p>
<p>Do you know how safe the campus is? Or does anyone know about that?</p>
<p>
Consideration for some of the full rides requires 750 in each, minimum. If such a student doesn’t get it, I would assume they would at least get the full Dean’s, but if that wasn’t your experience, then that’s unfortunate.</p>
<p>
The campus in the Bronx is in a poor area, but not a very bad area. Many people confuse low-income, working-class, often immigrant areas with being bad areas, but they are not necessarily bad. Little Italy can be fun, actually. It’s right next to the Bronx Zoo, which is almost always positive (only a negative when Egyptian Rattlesnakes escape and wreak havoc across NYC). It has top notch security, anyway, so the campus is quite safe.</p>
<p>The campus in Manhattan is in a very nice area and also has very good security. It is quite safe.</p>
<p>
I resent the implication that we did not “appreciate” the 12K in aid S was offered. It is not a question of appreciation that a resulting COA of $43K is still not in the range of what we feel we can spend. From what I have read, here and on the Fordham thread, what people are offered simply varies widely. S is also an Eagle Scout so it is not as if he has no EC’s. They just didn’t see him as desirable as some others. Hopefully, they will see you as a must have and offer you a lifetime supply of educations.</p>
<p>Sylvan, you seem to have confused merit aid with an entitlement. Fordham and any other college is free to determine their limited aid how they see fit. I personally was very happy to be offered an award of roughly $19K in grant money (plus work study, plus stafford loan). It didn’t meet our need, but it seemed like a fair offer at the time. </p>
<p>My comment to Skids is based in part on her characterization of her family as being “middle/higher” income. I’m going to guess that she probably means that her family is in that upper middle class bracket that really gets squeezed when it comes to financial aid – their EFC is probably too high to qualify for much need based aid anywhere, but paying full cost at a private school is probably a stretch. From the stats that have been posted, Skids is a hardworking, capable, talented and deserving student with test scores currently too low to attract full-ride level scholarships – but any sort of merit money is nothing to sneeze at. </p>
<p>All colleges, including Fordham, use their merit money offers to entice students who meet their institutional preferences and priorities. That is, they don’t hold a contest to see which kid has the best stats or most impressive EC’s - they give their money to the students who best fit their picture of the type of student they want to have at their school. There may be multiple priorities and the priorities may change over time. For example, maybe one year they want more students who are strong in math & sciences, and they also want to increase geographic diversity – so the math nerd kid who applies from Nebraska may get a very generous offer while the prospective communications major from New Jersey with a higher SAT score gets passed over. A few years down the line maybe their needs and priorities change. </p>
<p>I don’t think it is a “crapshoot” – but it also isn’t something always decided in a transparent way. There are some ways that families can do research to get a sense of institutional priorities – but I personally don’t think it’s worth a lot of effort, because even if the student figures out exactly what the college is looking for, that doesn’t guarantee the money. I think the best thing that a student can do is exactly what Skids is doing – ask some questions, and then next year apply to a fairly large set of schools that are likely to offer some sort of aid to her. Then, in a year, perhaps she will have an array of colleges to consider, and her upper middle class parents will be looking at a COA in the range of $30-$40K annually instead of $50-$60K annually. And that might mean a lot to a family in their income bracket.</p>
<p>I wonder if the state the student is from also makes a difference. Fordham gets a lot of students from the region, so they may not be as generous to them. </p>
<p>I do think that Fordham does care about test scores, but I think that there are several other factors considered as well. I don’t think someone with a 1800ish SAT is going to get much merit…may get none.</p>