No financial gymnastics for me.
WPI was his number one also. Had I known we would have sponsored a robotics team for his school for that scholarship. Our physical neighbor could only send one son there because he was NMF. The other son goes to a flagship. What flagships are you considering. Also the deadline is tomorrow at midnight right?
He’s considering Stony Brook and New Paltz in NY. My son’s school doesn’t offer robotics or first teams. As for WPI’s valedictorian scholarship, I’m confused. Isn’t it possible that your son or my son or someone else’s kid has standardized test scores and GPA above those of a valedictorian from another high school? There are even some high schools that have more than one valedictorian. Of course it’s their money and they can do what they want with it, but it hardly seems fair to offer kids with the same or higher stats $10,000 less because they aren’t valedictorians at their particular schools.
If a school requires the Profile, you can’t just file the FAFSA and get aid. If you did that, they would consider your application to be incomplete.
Stony Brook and New Paltz are excellent schools. Are you in state for them?
@Flash789 The NMF neighbor had perfect PSAT and SAT but a mediocre GPA due to lack of effort. Test scores got a scholarship for him. That is the problem. They have many high achievers to choose from. Stony Brook is good.
The old “YMMV” hold here. Until you get actual offers on the table, we can talk all day. I suggest you write to the PROFILE schools and explain your situation. At WPI right now, with a zero EFC, he would be entitled to $11K from the federal government in PELL and Direct loans, along with the $11K in merit money. That’s $22K towards a $60K+ cost. Whether, the school will ante up more, we won’t know. Some schools have funds for those who are PELL eligible, some might make a professional judgement based on circumstances that overrides their usual fin aid calculators. All of that is unpredictable.
I suggest you give it your best go, and also make sure there are affordable schools on the list.
It was a sobering experience for us when one of our sons got a $30K merit award at a school, that delighted us, and then we realized the the COA for that school meant still another $30K+ to pay for that option. OUr state schools were still a lot less expensive with NO scholarship.
As odious as it may be to fill out the PROFILE especailly when you’ve done the preliminary numbers and see that the calculators come out to a big fat zero in aid, you aren’t going to have any chance of getting any financial aid at those schools that require this form if you don’t do so. The form gives you the right to appeal, plus there is a section on there that you can explain your circumstances. So you might as well give it a go since you and your son have already applied to some schools that require it to get aid. Be aware that a lot of schools, both that take FAFSA only and those that require PROFILE as well do not guarantee to meet full need anyways, and often gap big time. So even with a zero FAFSA EFC, it doesn’t mean that a FAFSA only school is going to give your kid a full ride. Not at all. I don’t know a school that guarantees to meet need as defined by FAFSA EFC.
Everyone, thank you for your help.