<p>My husband and I make about $90K per year, and have 1 child. Our EFC is $18K per year. My son applied for early decision & was accepted to Emerson College (tuition and fees are $45K a year). I just realized their website states that merit aid would be in the admittance letter. He did not receive any merit aid.</p>
<p>We received the admittance letter in December, we completed the FAFSA and CSS profile in January.</p>
<p>I am wondering if it is possible that he might be awarded merit aid. He has a 3.5 GPA, good SAT scores and 400 plus hours of community service.</p>
<p>I realize our income seems high, but we have no equity in our home, $5K in savings, no investments (other than 401K's totally about $60K). Unfortunately we are carrying about $25K of credit card debt.</p>
<p>I cannot afford to take out $35K in PLUS loans for 4 years. My son is going to be applying for scholarships.</p>
<p>There is also the chance that I may lose my job (or receive a pay decrease) within the next year.</p>
<p>He did not apply to any other schools and now we are scrambling around to get him to apply to other schools. His major is TV Studio Production and unfortunately none of the state schools in NH offer this major.</p>
<p>I have been crying for 2 days and feel like a failure of a parent.</p>
<p>Call Emerson and ask. They would be the only ones who could tell you if additional merit offers are made to ED applicants at a later date.</p>
<p>Willow…your bigger issue…when you receive an ED acceptance, you are supposed to WITHDRAW other applications and acceptances…not apply to more schools. When you apply ED, you are agreeing to attend if you are accepted. When did your son receive his ED acceptance? Did you accept that ED offer?? If not, contact Emerson and find out what to do. If yes…hmmm…perhaps someone else will have an opinion, but I think you need to withdraw from that ED acceptance BEFORE you send out any more applications.</p>
<p>Emerson does not meet full need. The good thing about Early Action is that your son does NOT have to make a final decision until ALL of his acceptances and aid offers are in hand. If finances are an issue, discuss this with him (hopefully you have already done so at least a little). You are NOT a failure as a parent. College costs are very high and many families underestimate what the schools will expect them to be paying towards their kiddos’ educations. </p>
<p>As mentioned above, hopefully your son has other schools on his list (applications completed) that will end up being more affordable. </p>
<p>The FAFSA/Profile are usually for need based aid although some schools require them for merit aid awards (to make sure that need based monies are awarded first). I think you need to call again…and be clear that you are looking for MERIT awards, not need based.</p>
<p>It is possible that you will receive some need based money from Emerson as your EFC is not near the full cost of attendance. These awards typically come out later in the cycle. BUT Emerson does not guarantee to meet full need so you will likely be paying some amount in excess of your EFC. No way to know about your need based aid at this point…you just need to wait and see what the school(s) award your son…if anything.</p>
<p>Where else did he apply? And did you complete need based financial aid applications to those schools as well?</p>
<p>To everyone asking all these questions…OP answered:</p>
<p>She said she can’t afford Emerson.
He didn’t apply anywhere else.
And his stats are given.</p>
<p>I am just SICK for you. I’m almost crying thinking about it! My D had teachers who failed to turn in their recs on time (for scholarships), and, though she APPLIED to other schools…this was her ONLY “safety” (both financially and academically). I was BESIDE myself!</p>
<p>Get started right now looking at those late deadline or rolling admissions schools.
Problem is, most of them might have had early deadlines for merit aid consideration.
See if there are any that pledge to “meet full need” (then you’d pay only about the $18,000 EFC).<br>
Consider the scary fact he may need to start in your local community college for a year, then transfer next year if you can find another school you can afford. Alternatively, take a gap year and work and save. Or, take one expensive year at Emerson and see if you can find a cheaper transfer next year. </p>
<p>But get to researching that late list. Look for late admission, rolling admission, your son’s major, and “meets full need”. </p>
<p>***He did not apply to any other schools **and now we are scrambling around to get him to apply to other schools. His major is TV Studio Production and unfortunately none of the state schools in NH offer this major.
*</p>
<p>I see the GPA, but what is his SAT breakdown?</p>
<p>Can you afford your EFC?</p>
<p>He didn’t apply to any other schools? Was he not aware of your financial situation?</p>
<p>BTW…merit scholarships will only reduce any possible aid, it won’t reduce your EFC. ARe you aware of that???</p>
<hr>
<p>*My D had teachers who failed to turn in their recs on time (for scholarships), and, though she APPLIED to other schools…this was her ONLY “safety” (both financially and academically). I was BESIDE myself!
*</p>
<p>Doesn’t your D have a big NM scholarship from a safety? Or is this the one that you’re talking about? What crazy excuse did the teachers give for their ineptness?</p>
<p>Franklin Pierce University in Rindge NH is not Emerson. But it does have rolling admissions and a good media program as a part of its Mass Communications major. It is private, but definitely less expensive than many other LACs. Its rural and small, not fancy. But your S may get good merit aid. There is a nice energy there.
Good luck. The whole college application experience is overwhelming.</p>
<p>In fact, FPU (I know; that sounds pretty funny) just announced that they will not raise tuition for 2010-2011. They are saving money with the biomass thermal heating system they recently installed. All admitted students are being offered financial aid and/or scholarships.</p>
<p>mom2college…yes this is EXACTLY the school/scholarship in question. This school gives lots of little schollies. And this one application is for ALL of them. So she wasn’t eligible for any of the “nomination/selective” scholarships without these recs. Turned out one teacher said they didn’t get the e-mail invitation (and the school IS having e-mail problems)…and the other teacher said she didn’t have time (in all fairness…the school only gave them 2 weeks!!! - which is CRAZY. Once you apply, you are offered the opportunity to fill out a scholarship application, based on your basic stats. You have to do that in 30 days. Once you hit Submit…it tells you that your teachers have 2 weeks from THAT date to submit recs. Throw in a holiday and weekends and that’s just NOT enough time. D’s school counselor said NO WAY, they won’t take them late, it says so right on their website. One teacher said she’d call and beg…but I called first because I was a MESS. They were nice and said they were losing too many good students to this problem, had already extended the deadline, they THOUGHT for everyone, and went ahead and extended hers…thank GOODNESS. It was scary because we felt, and still do, that D is probably about 90% having to go to that school.</p>