<p>Why should he be given hostility just because his family makes 200k?? To be honest, that’s probably the worst income bracket to be in when it comes to the financial situation of college.</p>
<p>@johnhawkes, if your family makes that much i really don’t understand the struggle the average american salary is 50,000 and families can live comfortably on it too. If the fast gave you some money then possibly you might get some from the school. Usually schools are within a couple thousand of the fafsa. Also you can take out loans if it really is a struggle. Also if you have another sibling in college it could lower the EFC.</p>
<p>There’s nothing inherently wrong with asking this question, but the way OP presented this question is frustrating. As someone whose parents will have to invest their entire life savings and potentially cut into their retirement funds by the time I graduate just to pay for tuition, whose family probably won’t be able to go on any vacations during these next four years and never “buys a lot of nice things,” whose parents also argue about money constantly, who receives almost no financial aid from the university, as someone who is fully aware of the sacrifices my family is willing to make in order to pay for my education and fully grateful, it’s absolutely frustrating to hear someone whose family makes much more money than mine continually try to explain how he’s “lower middle class” and “so poor” to justify why he deserves more aid - even after multiple users have told him he probably won’t get any aid.</p>
<p>There isn’t much else this forum can do for you. If you get in (and only after you get in), run a financial aid calculator and contact the college aid office to see what they can do for you. Talk to your parents and ask them where all their money is going, if they can only afford to pay 15k a year; ask them if they’re willing to pay more for your college education. If it turns out you are in an unusual financial situation where your parents truly cannot afford more than 15k a year, write an appeal letter to the college of aid office explaining your situation - they’ll take it into consideration and likely give you a reasonable grant. Until you hear back, apply to other scholarships and perhaps try to secure a job for the summer (if you haven’t already). If you do come here, you’ll realize that hundreds of your classmates are in sticky financial situations, and plenty of families have to make huge sacrifices for them. We make do with what we have - and what we’re willing to do.</p>
<p>johnhawkes, you are not any kind of poor, and certainly not “so poor” because you don’t have air conditioning. $200K is a substantial income–certainly among the top 5% in the country.</p>
<p>Everything in life is about choices, as you are having to learn now. Your parents chose to live in an expensive area. They chose to pay for you to go to private schools instead of publics. Your dad is now choosing to prioritize his own retirement rather than spend a fortune on your college education. There are plenty of colleges your family can “afford” based on what they have been paying for your private high school, and their income. Read what cptofthehouse says. It is all true.</p>
<p>^^^ i definitely agree. I face a similar situation. My parents make a lot of money but they do not want to pay what my EFC because they think it is too much but reality is being upper middle class sucks. If you can’t afford it i would go to a another decent school that cost less. That is what I am probably going to do. Also i know a couple where the wife went to state school ungrad no loans and makes a decent living while her husband went to a prestigious school and is still trying to pay of the loans 5 years later and makes the same amount of money as his wife. So really its not the college you go to that matters it is what you do there that matters more.</p>
<p>Sorry for having phrased it like that
My dad works for he government fwiw, so idk how his retirement works
one of my parents works really hard long hours, always stressed, the other not so much, but they make the same
I guess I was just wanting to hear positive responses b/c I really want to go to chicago but I know the money at full freight will be implausible</p>
<p>LOL I can tell you this exactly. My family makes around 200-220K pre-taxes and we got nothing 
</p>
<p>How unexpected. Well actually to be specific, I was given a $5500 loan option and $5000 in merit scholarship money. If I were to go. I guess I could transfer my NMF to get something as well. Yeah I think it’s incredibly unfair of schools to expect anyone below the 1% to afford this at full tuition and still live comfortably. My parents used to earn about 60K a year until we moved 3 years ago and they still expect us to pay the same as someone who’s always been making this much 
Furthermore, our assets are a result of saving and scrimping, not a large salary. We truly aren’t rich and the only reason I have the ability to go to a nice school is because I’m an only child and my parents sacrificed their comfort for the last 2 decades + worked extra hours to make it happen. Yeah I have no idea what everyone else is saying, but I hope that answers your question. Expect no fin aid, from anywhere and pray for merit aid from non-ivies.</p>
<p>john transferring might be an option but i am not sure how selective it is or grad school. Honestly I know people who did not go to their first choice because of FA and they are happy where they are and have no regrets. I am not saying take UChicago off the table but to be open to looking elsewhere</p>
<p>johnhawkes</p>
<p>I’m sorry it seems people are coming off as hostile, I’m sure they don’t mean it. In response to your inquiry, the only thing to do is to wait until they let you know (agonizing, I know; I’m in the same boat). I will say, UChicago is rather generous when it comes to aid; 59% of applicants who made over 120k were offered aid of some sort so your chances aren’t as slim as they might be at other schools.</p>
<p>That being said, 200k is a lot of money even when there are explanations for why paying for school will be hard. Generally unless something is glaringly obvious in your FAFSA or CSS, FA will just look at the numbers. If it turns out you receive none, try writing a letter to the FA department asking them to look at your case again, and include some details you feel aren’t shown in the FAFSA/CSS. For now though, all there is to do is wait.</p>
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<p>You’d embrace it because it means your parents earn too much to qualify. Too much, ain’t that a bummer. There’s a #firstworldproblems meme with a caption depicting just this.</p>
<p>For what it’s worth, here are a few solid numbers. Harvard (whose aid is substantially better than Chicago) notes that for families earning upto $180k, they promise a yearly EFC of no more than 10%. After 180k, however, the aid drops rapidly. Since the EFC at 180k is $18,000, that is more than made up by the $20,000 difference at 200k.</p>
<p>And that’s Harvard. So don’t expect any aid. </p>
<p>This is like taxes. It’s okay to complain that your tax rate is 39%, but you should be glad you’re in that “bracket”, because paying more sure as hell means you earn a lot more.</p>
<p>And people are frustrated because your Dad “saves a lot” and hence can’t pay for your tuition on 200k when more than half this country lives on, and does fabulously with, less than a fourth as much. You sound whiney. It’s a tough position, trust me I fully understand, but it’s a decision that’s been 18 years in the coming, and unless there were some extenuating conditions you should be fine.</p>
<p>And if there were such conditions, I’m sure Chicago or any other top school would understand.</p>
<p>Here’s the situation: there is only so much money in the pot to distribute. It is to be used to make it possible for as many qualified students to be able to go to your school. Clearly, you have to draw the line somewhere and make the distinctions at some point. So a kid like you with parents that net $200K a year is not going to get much or anything as opposed to the kid whose family income is $20K a year. Even that kid is likely to get a required student contribution which can be a real hardship at that level. </p>
<p>UCh is a private school. We aren’t even there to the point of making the state schools all affordable and accessible to everyone. It’s like crying that you can’t go to Parker, Latin or Lab because they cost too much. They are private schools. You may have a merit scholarship to where ever you are going to private high school now, and UCh does have a few of those for the students they absolutely want the most. But the bar is very high at schools of this calibre that have students with top scores lining up and begging to pay to go there. </p>
<p>No one is entitled to go to a private school. It’s a privilege and luxury.</p>
<p>I am sympathetic because the OP has no control over his parents spending, saving and finances. He doesn’t sound as if he has been gallivanting off to Europe and driving an expensive car. And it might be that his area public schools are untenable and they chose private. I get all that.</p>
<p>But still, 200k probably won’t get you much financial aid. Sounds like your dad will have to stop socking away quite so much to his retirement and your parents will have to scrimp and really tighten the belt. Work Study, summer jobs, small loans can all add up as well.</p>
<p>Wait for the acceptance and financial aid package and then go talk to your parents. Run the numbers with them. See what they say. Then make a decision.</p>
<p>I don’t know if you have a financial safety but my son chose a full-ride rm/brd scholarship over Chicago (his dream school) 4 years ago and has never regretted it.</p>
<p>You won’t receive anything.
My family makes your school price divided by two.
And I am expected to contribute few thousand.
You are considered upper middle class if not rich for American standarts.</p>
<p>“My family makes your school price divided by two.
And I am expected to contribute few thousand.”</p>
<p>This! If someone whose family that makes so much less, like 15% of your family income is still expected to come up with a couple grand, what the heck do you think you will be asked to pay? </p>
<p>There are lousy public schools everywhere, dangerous ones in fact, overbrimming with kids whose family can’t or won’t afford private ones. It’s a luxury to have parents who can arrange for and pay for private and a privilege to have the brains to get a scholarship to one. </p>
<p>I’m really more concerned about the state of public higher education in Illinois. The public universities have skyrocketed in price for in staters. </p>
<p>U of Illinois Urbana/Ch is rated one of the top universities in the world by international standards. With what your parents are now paying for your highschool and Staffords available, it is a distinct possibility for you if your stats make you a viable candidate for UCh.</p>
<p>Thanks for the help guys</p>
<p>unfortunately, I got waitlisted, so I guess no more worrying about this
seems as if everyone was waitlisted</p>