I go to NYU right now. I’m taking the maximum amount of federal loans (so the 5500 a year, then the increase) and no parent plus loans, and CAS gave me a scholarship big enough that my family can make up the rest. While I know kids in my situation, and I have friends who have full rides…they’re vastly outnumbered by my friends staring at 100k of debt after graduation in unsubsidized and plus loans (which isn’t ideal obviously). Sometimes, NYU comes through and gives great aid for those who are high need and high merit, but stating that NYU is known for being stingy with aid isn’t false because…it is. A lot of the people who post on CC are high merit, so there seems to be a lot of us on CC getting a ton of aid from NYU, but that’s just misleading data.
That being said, if OP is even still following this, apply anyway (especially if you can get an application fee waived). I thought I’d never be able to afford it, and they surprised me. Who knows, you might be one of the lucky few, and if it’s your dream you should at least take the chance.
Since you plan to study EE, if it is ABET the school name isn’t as important in industry or landing funding for post graduate education. University of Toledo for example had 100% placement and average starting salary of $63,453 http://www.utoledo.edu/Programs/undergrad/Electrical-Engineering The cost of living index between regions accounts for the difference in starting salary averages rather than prestige of institution since most graduates will pursue employment within the region. You would qualify for substantial OOS merit there and they are one of 8 engineering programs that require a co-op, so their career services office is top notch and you would have ample opportunity to earn what you need and possibly graduate debt free. They place students across the country. You’d also have a huge financial advantage over the other students since presumably you would be able to live rent free during your co-ops in an area that pays well if you sought opportunities near your parents’ home. If you are still looking for a safety school consider it.
@Sportsman88 Columbia is very generous and their awards do not differ much from other Ivies. The major difference is that they do consider home equity but the allowance is generous. From experience, Columbia’s financial aid is far, far better than NYUs. Our NYU package included more than $20K in loans (subsidized, unsubsidized, parent). Our Columbia package was 100% grants and no loans. Both universities calculated our need to be roughly the same.
@BuckeyeMWDSG Applying to Brown is better from a financial aid perspective, the problem however is that you need to be admitted. Brown is far more competitive than NYU.
It’s really difficult to predict admissions or award letter amounts. Brown is likely to be better from a financial aid perspective if the measure is total dollars awarded since the CoA is so much higher. But if the measure is net cost University of Toledo starts with a clear advantage, offers additional merit aid, stacking of outside scholarships and also offers scholarships open to OOS with full tuition, room, board and stipend that the OP’s stats qualify him to be considered for.
http://www.utoledo.edu/admission/freshman/scholarships/presidential.html
I understand that Columbia’s financial aid is much more generous than NYU but I’ve not seen it mentioned with HPY level aid. The NPC for Columbia (and Penn) had us paying substantially more than Harvard’s and Princeton’s NPC (50-75% more). D didn’t apply to Penn or Columbia because they weren’t affordable. Harvard’s actual aid package was within a $1,000 of the NPC.
We do not have any home equity because I move too often for my job. We are a pretty straight forward situation, dual income married parents so no issues to cause problems with NPC.
Update: Yeah I cant afford this shit. Rutgers for the win 
@Sportsman88 I can only speak from personal experience and we found Columbia financial aid to be outstanding. The only major difference between its financial aid and Harvard’s is that Columbia does consider home equity.
Our NPC was nearly identical for Harvard and Columbia. S graduated with zero debt and our expected contribution was very manageable and lower than we had anticipated. They even waived the summer earnings expectation for two years running so he could undertake international internships. I was also surprised that they increased his grant to cover his health insurance.
Interesting. That’s great news for you and others. We don’t have home equity because I relocate too much but there was a big difference in NPCs. Maybe I’ll run it again for the heck if it. Maybe I fat fingered a number. Daughter is at Harvard so it won’t bother me if it comes out same price.
@Sportsman88 I’ve learned from experience that NPC only give an idea of what you’d get, especially from generous schools. While Princeton is famously the most generous Ivy, the others come within a few dollars of each other. It’s a moot point since your daughter is at Harvard, but my advice is always to apply for financial aid and see what happens. As I’ve said before, I’ve never heard of Penn, Columbia, Brown or any other Ivy being unaffordable for someone in your situation.