<p>I've recently appealed to a college (Ivy League that's supposed to meet 100% need), but was denied and I am stuck with 6000 in grant. This is frustrating because i mentioned on the letter all the unusual circumstances that affected my family's financial situation. Also I mentioned a college without giving the name giving me about 3 times more in free grant.</p>
<p>Is this possible? Both school are equally prestigious, 100%, but completely different fin aid. The only difference is that one is Ivy and others not.</p>
<p>The college I appealed to is making my parents pay 2.5 times more than the FAFSA EFC. I thought they were supposed to be 100%. </p>
<p>Should I get my dad to call the office? Or is it hopeless because they don't want me as they do other students?</p>
<p>100% does not refer to your EFC as calculated by the FAFSA. Private schools also use the Profile and recalculate your EFC. 100% of need means that they meet 100% of the need they believe you have, not what FAFSA or you believe you have. And need can be met by grant, work-study or entirely by loans.</p>
<p>Yes it is not only possible the schools which meet "100% of need" come up with different amounts, but it is in fact very common.</p>
<p>If you've appealed and they've said no, there is nothing further to be done. Your dad can't do anything for you.</p>
<p>The aid you got is all you're going to get. Now make your decision knowing all the facts at hand.</p>
<p>The school that is giving you more money, may not be a peer institution of the ivy you appealed to. It could be a lower ranked school with some merit money thrown in. FAFSA EFC number is meaningless when you apply to Profile schools.</p>
<p>Also, remember that EFC does not mean that all schools are supposed to follow the mindset that applicants are entitled to grants.</p>
<p>though the other school may not be name as Ivy League, it is in the same ranking as the ivy league institution in Newsweek ranking. (not that newsweek is any good) I just can't believe it can have that much differnce even after appeal. </p>
<p>Also I did not mention the name of college in the appeal letter.</p>
<p>Whether you named the other school or not is irrelevant. Whether they are peer institutions is also irrelevant. Each school has its own methodology and calculates need its own way. (I'm assuming that both schools use the Profile, since all Ivy and "sister" institutions do so). One school is not required under any set of circumstances to match the aid of another school. The school you appealed to decided not to match. End of story.</p>
<p>I understand that. But what I'm questioning is how then does that college say it meets 100% need.</p>
<p>My my parents will make about 75K next year (as opposed from 100K) this year. The college that denied my appeal expects my parent's to pay 30K. My parent has to pay about 35K for my brother. Also my brother and I would need at least 5K a year for various spendings. This leves 5 K for my parents to live on. Does this meet 100%?
We will have $0 in cash saving by then. I explained this to the appeals committee, and they change nothing.</p>
<p>Again 75 K number is meanigless. Colleges don't expect parents to pay from their current income. They do expect your parents to dip in to their assets to pay for their children's education.</p>
<p>jl11: You are asking advice/opinion from people who have no knowledge of your family's financial picture. Since you talk about an IVY, they use profile and the fin aid people, after reviewing the data, must have felt that your parents can pay more. There must be something. For example, do you own business? is your parent's home worth a lot? </p>
<p>A 25 K difference in annual income does not change the picture that drastically.</p>
<p>thank you so much responding. I am sorry if i come off as rude, but i'm extremely frustrated atm.</p>
<p>if income difference is not significant, I have explained to them my parent's whole saving will disappear next year leaving us with only bonds that we can't cash in. No business, no rich relatives, no multiple houses.</p>
<p>the school that gives me more money is actually my first choice, but the only problem is that it does not have engineering while the other college has a major that is very appealing to me.</p>
<p>The worth of my house wasn't included in the financial aid application, so I think that it did not play any role. Considering my parent's age, my house is nothing significant in price.</p>
What kind of bonds are these? Maybe this is the problem, the college thinks the value of these can be tapped even if normally you would not want to.</p>
<p>If you submitted the Profile, the value of your house should have been included, regardless of your parents' age. They may have imputed the equity in your home, leaving you with less "need" than you think.</p>
<p>Did they give you any loans? Work study? Those count as meeting "need".</p>
<p>Without being privy to the details of your financial aid filings, and without knowing exactly what formulae the school uses to determine your need, no one on this board or any other Internet board can tell you why the school did what it did, or whether they did or did not meet your "need."</p>
<p>It's simply a fact that they did what they did, there's nothing you can do about it anymore, and it's time to move on. Sorry if that's harsh, but it's the reality.</p>
<p>It is very strange the way you are painting the financial picture of your family. Under normal circumstances people with very little assets and 75 K in income with two kids in college would get substaintial need based aid. Is your brother a graduate student? If not then did you miss him when you filled out the forms? are you an international student? It is not true that home equity is not counted.</p>
<p>my family's circumstance is very strange because they move around different countries. My brother is an international so we don't expect much aid for him.</p>