@tooscared Chatted with our college advisor (years of experience) regarding the appeal process. She said most colleges like and including GW are very tight with merit/aid and she’s never seen a successful appeal which made a real difference.
@tooscared @HappyFace2018 , even when our FAFSA was very much in error? We’re not simply hoping for more; we truly misrepresented our finances in both our FAFSA & CSS. There’s never been a successful appeal?
@tooscared, we sent a letter outlining the mistakes we had made and attached our W2s and tax returns as GW requested.
@efinand As I mentioned…in our college advisors experience, she hasn’t seen it even in situations where mistakes were made. Her belief is based on the fact the GW is now admittedly “need aware” and they may have wait listed students who can pay more. I am NOT an expert and I’m not saying your appeal will not be successful.
@HappyFace2018, I understand what you’re saying. That thought already crossed our mind – perhaps he got admitted because they thought we could pay for it! He did receive a $25 Pres Scholarship as well, so he’s a desirable student of course, but I also understand that this isn’t that exclusive of a scholarship.
One more roll of the dice.
@efinand I truly believe the CSS form causes the most issues. Parents are lead to believe the document somehow helps them provide the school with a fuller financial picture. In fact it provides the school, in my humble opinion, an opportunity to discount the FAFSA EFC. Example, while the FAFSA does not take into account the 401K, the CSS does. Having a substantial nest egg in a 401K killed us I BELIEVE. While we are the sole caregivers for my mother in law, she lives in our second home which has no mortgage (equity). We are about to have no debt (other than a mortgage). All of these things gave GW the impression that out EFC should be higher I’m sure because there was a $30,000 gap between the COA and our EFC but she did not receive enough merit/aid to full the gap. Prior to our child applying we did the net price calculator and knew we’d be on the hook for $40,000 a year so it wasn’t a shock. We are grateful to be in the financial position we are in, even so I completely understand your concern.
@HappyFace2018, thanks for your reply. We also did the NPC before applying, and thought GW was doable. When we did the FAFSA it came back so much higher than expected. We couldn’t figure out why and thought we must have been doing things wrong on the NPCs. Turns out it was the other way around. We are very close to being able to meet the gap price as it is, but not quite close enough to be completely comfortable. I’m just so irritated with myself for doing it wrong, but then again, that’s maybe what got him in. Who knows. Can’t wait until we make a decision and can move on.
@efinand I totally understand. After our child was accepted to American (SIS-GS) with no merit/aid, she decided to commit to another school who gave $100,000 thinking GW would do the same as AU. She got $80,000 from GW. She choose GW because she got into the Elliott School and University Honors Program. And, you can’t beat the location. I have to say…withdrawing from the $100,000 scholarship school (and requesting a refund of the deposit) feels like breaking up…which is always hard to do.
@HappyFace2018, our son was accepted to Elliott as well, but not Honors (he never finished the application. I still remember “write a letter to an author about a book you didn’t like” and he was going off on Winnie-the-Pooh! LOL! But he ran out of time with all the essays. He did get $100,000 from GW, so that, along with it being his dream to be in DC in the heart of things is making it really hard to decide.
@efinand how do u appeal financial aid.? My son only got Stanford/Perkins loans besides merit money. He received 45,000 in merit money and work study but I can’t see him taking a 20,000 plus loan a year! He’s our first to go to college and I have 3 more children to support! GW is his first choice and my husband and I just don’t how we can help him with such a big gap! Any advise?
@Jerseymom1060 I don’t believe he’ll be able to do $20,000 a year…only $5,500 (freshmen) $6,500 (sophomore) and so on. The parents can request a parent plus loan for the balance each year. That loan can be repaid over a 10 year period of time. Wow! $45,000 a year in merit/aid is awesome.
@Jerseymom1060, we just wrote a letter, explaining our errors. I’m not sure it will do anything, but I really felt like it was worth it since we screwed up the forms and misrepresented our assets.Will they care that the CSS PrOFILE said we had $125K in assets more than we really have (according to the way they define assets)? Sadly, probably not! But I feel we would be foolish not to correct it. Good luck and congratulations. Regardless of what happens, you must know you have a great kid with limitless potential!
@GWdreamteam1998 if GW is your top choice, then absolutely accept the waitlist! If you’re less sure, however, I stress the importance of talking with your family and making sure that GW is where you really want to go. It’s also importance to discuss the financial aspects of it–can your family afford to lose the deposit at your other school? These are just some things to think about.
If you accept your position on the waitlist and end up being selected, don’t feel bad about leaving the school you already committed to; when you un-enroll, you’ll be giving your spot to a deserving student on their waitlist. So in a way it works out for everyone!
@fhgirl16 Excellent advice to GWdream.
@efinand thank you so much!!
@Jerseymom1060 - Which Scholarships comprise the $45,000 merit aid? The highest I’ve seen are the $25,000 per year Presedential Scholarships. Congrats!
@fhgirl16 thank you! I accepted as soon as decisions came out because thats where my brother goes and they have the best IR program. My only concern was taking that position away from another person but after what you said I’m fine. GW was my #1 and still is 
my only worry is financial aid because i think thats one of the main reasons why I didn’t get in
Hello! I was recently accepted into GW and plan on committing soon and I was wondering if anyone knows of a group chat or something of that nature for the class of 2020? Thanks!
@fulofsteel There is a Class of 2020 FaceBook page I believe.
I’m unable to Claim my GW Email Address/NetID. Do I have to pay the enrollment deposit before I proceed?