I have heard back from all but one school at this point and I am pretty set on going to syracuse u. They gave me a great financial aid package (11k per year) but every little bit counts considering my EFC is 3500. If i can get syracuse down 2k it would match the aid i got from my instate public. I know syracuse probably doesn’t care how much money my instate flagship gave me, probably arguing that they are incomparable. Does anyone have tips on how to go about this?
Your net cost at Syracuse is $11k or the grant they gave you is $11k? Is the other school Rutgers? What’s your net cost there?
yes the bet cost is 11k at syracuse and the net cost at rutgers is 9k
*net
You can appeal but they are not likely to match the cost of a public in state university.
is it worth the extra cost to go there if it’s my dream school?
NO!
Yes! That’s a total of only 8K over 4 years. 44k vs 36k, so about 20% more for Syracuse.
Do you have a way to come up with the additional $2000 a year?
What we did was go to the school in person and talk to the financial aid office. They told us about a music scholarship for non-music majors we didn’t know about. It paid $1,000/year and provided for free music lessons. Then they told us to write a letter explaining any extenuating circumstances, and they gave us another $2,000/year. That made the difference for us. It can’t hurt to ask!
@MaineLonghorn I am going to an admitted students day so I guess I can set up an appointment to talk to them then so see if i can get more money
Good luck!
I do have a savings account that will pay for the first two years without my parents help, plus i have money put away from my current job so yes I can come up with the money @thumper1
If your EFC is $3,500, can you afford either school?
The net price is direct costs like tuition, fees, room and board minus financial aid like scholarships and grants.
If Rutgers net price is $9k, then you would need another $3,500 after your maximum student loan of $5,500.
Can your parents pay that?
You also need money for books and supplies.
For Syracuse the travel costs would be higher, right? And would they accept your current health insurance or would you have to pay extra for their insurance?
The financial aid for the 2019/20 year is based on 2017 income.
Has you family’s income changed in 2018?
Also is that savings account a 529 account?
Because if you had $20,000 in a savings account in your name, your FAFSA EFC would be higher than $3,500 just from the assets alone, unless you qualify for simplified needs test.
part of it is in a 529 but not all of it, but we reported it on the fafsa and that is what our EFC was. My parents are divorced and not on the same page about college so it is hard to coordinate how much they will pay as they do not speak to each other and have an extremely messy relationship. My parents say that they’ll cover the out of pocket costs but it’s hard to rely on them as if they get into a fight/something happens what they said they’ll contribute may not actually be true.
No my family’s income has not changed from 2017.
As for travel costs, syracuse is about 4 hours drive so the costs are minimal. I am not sure about health insurance, but I’m not sure why they wouldn’t accept my health insurance.
You will need to check with them about insurance because Syracuse is out of state for you.