<p>financial aid is becoming a greater factor than i thought it would. we're filling out all the federal forms now, but does columbia give out other scholarships? in general how have the financial aid packages been?</p>
<p>I was admitted ED to Columbia College this year, but in my limited experience with Columbia financial aid I can tell you that they will take care of you; They are a need-based aid institution and belong to the 568 Presidents' Group. </p>
<p>However, this largely depends on your class. My family is verging on upper middle class, and all college costs are being billed directly to yours truly. But even so, it looks am only going to owe 15k / year I attend, not considering all the scholarships I've applied for, the job I'll have, and money I'll make over each vacation. And considering the road to a good-paying job I'll be on after going to Columbia? </p>
<p>If you're lower class, then you're set. </p>
<p>But middle class, expect some debt - you're in that lovely gray area whre you aren't poor enough for awesome scholarships and financial aid, and aren't rich enough to have mom and dad foot the bill. </p>
<p>Good Luck! Also, try the Columbia College Financial Aid website.</p>
<p>I think from what you're saying I'm almost int he same boat as you. Middle to upper class, parents are immigrants of 18 years (i don't think that matters much), ummm two younger siblings. I think that's it.</p>
<p>15k doesn't seem bad at all! We're definately expecting some type of debt, there's no question about it. My parents want to make sure that they send all three of us all the way through graduate school.</p>
<p>When you said you applied to scholarships, are these Columbia merit scholarships or other scholarships that are funded by other organizations/companies?</p>
<p>Didn't they just get a whopping $400 million donation for finaid?</p>
<p>Yeah, but I doubt they're giving everyone who gets in this year a free ride regardless of their social status.
You don't become an enormously wealthy private institution by giving money away every time you inherit a fortune.</p>
<p>fairlyconfident, do you have other siblings around your age who might have affected the package Columbia gave you? Just curious as I was also accepted ED to Columbia College (high five), also from an upper middle class family...and let's just say Columbia did not, erm, take care of me with their financial aid package. But I am pretty much an only child, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.</p>
<p>Yes Columbia did receive a huge financial aid donation, and no they cannot be expected to just lavish it all on current students now that they have it, but I do suspect they will be dipping into that money sooner (and deeper) than they expected to in light of Harvard's massive expansion of financial aid to the middle class. My family is one of many that would only have to pay 10% of full tuition under Harvard's new plan, and though I (clearly) considered Columbia my first choice, an offer like that from Harvard would be pretty impossible to ignore were I given the choice between H and C in the RD round. Though Columbia hasn't announced any new policies yet, they must be feeling the pressure to compete in some way. We won't be seeing a 90% price slash like Harvard's, but Columbia's endowment is still big enough to do substantially more than they're doing now.</p>
<p>I have a younger brother, not in college. That's strange.
Maybe it's simply that you're more upper and I'm closer to middle middle?</p>
<p>Maybe we'll never know the truth - Columbia's financial aid works in mysterious ways, I suppose. :/</p>
<p>I'm also somewhat wondering this question. My EFC is about $54k. Does this mean Columbia will not give me any aid, or will they give me a tiny bit(if I can justify it; my parents really can't afford to pay much of anything for school now, $5000/yr tops) of aid, or will I be most likely forced to take out private loans?</p>
<p>If there's some funky reason why your parents appear capable of handling that 54k but can't really, then you can send the aid office "special information." What they gave us after ED came from CSS Profile information and was a rough estimate, and so when we file FAFSA's we get the actual aid info. </p>
<p>But that's kind of strange - if they can't, and I mean CAN'T (not just don't want to for some reason) pay more than 5,000/yr but have EFC 54k...</p>
<p>Huuhhhh..
Also, when I said scholarships before I meant outside scholarships. Columbia doesn't have merit aid.</p>