<p>I know most people get very generous financial aid from ND. I'm an int'l so i got absolutely nothing. As much as I like Notre Dame, I don't know if its worth 80k of debt after graduation. </p>
<p>I'd love to have your opinions, May 1st is quickly approaching!</p>
<p>About half of ND’s undergrads receive need-based financial aid; that leaves a lot of full-pay families. Only you can decide how much educational debt makes sense for your personal situation.
I would run the numbers to determine what your monthly repayment would be, in order to enable you to make an informed decision.</p>
<p>neonblue327-
Based on our experience I wouldn’t say that “people get very generous financial aid” from ND. I have heard that but my d has received nothing but the offer of fairly small loans and her roommate was just offered loans and work-study.
$80,000 is a lot, and you need to factor in that ND will probably continue to raise tuition. This year they said it was “only” 4.5%-- but 4.5% of nearly $50,000 is a lot. It could be $60,000 by the time you graduate.
My d has enjoyed ND and taken full advantage of the many opportunities it has to offer. However, even she has said that, given the costs, she might make a different decision now (and we have managed to cover most of the costs so her debt will be fairly low). And, of course, the current economic situation is a factor. She knows a lot of seniors who are having trouble finding jobs-- and worrying about how they are going to make their student debt payments.</p>
<p>how low does your income have to be to qualify for financial aid? Right now, because they way the economy is, I might not be able to completely afford college, but i am not sure if I will be able to apply for financial aid.</p>
<p>don’t take on debt more than what you exactly will be making in your first year out of school.</p>
<p>Even though I am an alumni and my son was admitted this year, he is going in state, we could not rationalize the $123,000 difference in costs. Our son will graduate with no debt.</p>
<p>the 4.5% increase is what really was out of line for ND to do this year, it is scary to project to your 4th year cost ($57K/yr)</p>
<p>i really don’t know how this is sustainable, these price increases, especially if the economy stays bad for the next 5 years. </p>
<p>ND’s business model is to have the kids graduate with debt of at least $25K now</p>
<p>Thanks for the inputs everyone! Sorry I was kind of off in my statement about FA, it just seems like all my peers are all getting some kind of aid…</p>
<p>I should’ve mentioned that since I’m have a Canadian residency, I can attend Mcgill for only 15k/yr and easily graduate in 3 years if i want to. I have hesitated about going to Canada because people are telling me that it’s really hard to find a job back in the States from a canadian school. But the opportunity cost of attending schools like Notre Dame or Georgetown is too high… As MiPerson80 has mentioned, it is extremely difficult to ignore the $150,000 or so difference in cost.</p>
<p>yea, so do you think it is better to go to a state school than spend the money to go to a prestigous university?</p>
<p>$25K in student debt is entirely reasonable. It’s the cost of a new car, which doesn’t last nearly as long as a good education.</p>
<p>“25K in student debt is entirely reasonable. It’s the cost of a new car, which doesn’t last nearly as long as a good education.”</p>
<p>Perhaps true. But the cost of ND is now the equivalent of a new $25,000 car each and every semester. I don’t think that is reasonable, and I agree with MiPerson80 that it is difficult to see how it is sustainable.</p>
<p>"yea, so do you think it is better to go to a state school than spend the money to go to a prestigous university? "</p>
<p>are you an international student also? well, my parents are willing to support me if im DYING to go to notre dame. I’m still doing some evalutaions and will run some numbers to figure out my monthly payment… It’s really hard giving up the schools I’ve always wanted to go to, but I just can’t ignore the costs.</p>
<p>We received 0 in financial aid for my daughter, who was also named a Notre Dame Scholar in EA and a Glynn Family Honors student. Very disappointing. $200000 plus price tag, which will probably go up, is awfully high considering she received large merit scholarships from good LAC’s. Notre Dame is a wonderful place, but it is wise for anyone to consider cost vs. benefit. Sadly, we determined it wasn’t worth it. Maybe for graduate school.</p>
<p>My S was admitted to ND and will be a full pay student in the fall. Weighing the cost/benefits of ND versus his other options- in state, with some merit aid, honors program etc, it is difficult to justify the additional cost of approx $140,000 over 4 yrs. I wrestled with this decision for the last couple of weeks. However, as an alum, ND is a special place and as my wife reminded me we are blessed to be able to pay for S’s ND education.</p>
<p>Our decision is not right for everyone but is for us.</p>
<p>neonblue,</p>
<p>I turned down a full ride scholarship to a state university to go to ND where I was offered 0$ in financial aid. It does help that my siblings each attend schools on academic schoarships. Some people might think that because I wasn’t offered any financial aid, I don’t need it. Which is not true… I won’t go into too much detail about my situation but I can tell you one thing…</p>
<p>it’s worth it, at least it is for me…everyone’s different though.</p>
<p>S received full-ride to Notre Dame!!! We’re so proud!</p>
<p>^ congrats to your son - thats a great honor. </p>
<p>i will also will be a full-payer, but really think the opportunity is worth it. ND is a truly special place and i can not wait to attend in the fall!</p>
<p>usafa2013, what kind of stats did your son have? just wondering…</p>
<p>36 English (34 overall); 5 Physics AP and a couple of 4’s; lifeguard summer job; marching band; perfect score at State Science Fair; lead role and student director in drama club; lettered in Cross Country as freshmen. FYI, scholarship was offered from outside of Notre Dame…still not sure what the aid would have been, but they somehow already found out about the scholarship, so we doubt we will ever know.</p>
<p>Full ride is need-based. There are no academic “full-rides” from ND - as said, full-ride is from outside source, not ND</p>
<p>good to know AlDomerDad…what kind of organizations fund scholarships like that?</p>
<p>It depends - what are you majoring in? Are you confident enough you’ll get a job which can help you pay off the debt?</p>
<p>Although ND carries a good “name brand”, that much debt would be killer to pay off. Especially if your considering going to graduate school which is pretty darn expensive.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should brush Mgill off so easily. It’s one of the best, if not the best Canadian school that people in the US recognize.</p>