<p>oh man, that sucks. I have applied to fordham, but I'm still waiting on my acceptance. My EFC is 0. And when I mean 0, I mean 0. I was going on the mere hope, no dream, that they would give me a generous fin. aid package. Sounds like you got the short end of it all. Do you know if this situation is common? I mean is Fordham usually stingy in aid? If not, I would say to try and talk with them to get a better deal.</p>
<p>go over your financial aid paperwork carefully. Somewhere on the front page it should have the word need. what it may say is unmet need. This is where it gets upsetting. Fordham doesn't meet need-they meet 75%( from us news website) What you can not know ahead of time is do they meet 75% of each needy student, 100% of the very poor and 50% of less poor, or even 100% of smartest poor kids, and less if you are lower in the pool.
I ran our numbers on a free site that uses the data from schools to make a formula answer. I can tell you that your number match what it said, in fact you got more than it said we would with similar EFC.
If this is you #1 school for sure, do have your parents talk to financial aid and go over all your expenses. They are allowed to adjust your package if there are issues that did not get considered with the original package.
I have found the folks at Fordham to be very understanding, within what they can do.</p>
<p>That's crazy. Now I'm worried about my financial aid package but I'd def look over everything. I was just wondering when did you send in your css and fafsa?</p>
<p>I checked the estimate that they sent me, and it doesn't have my need listed anywhere, just the amount that I received in financial aid. I thought they meet 82% of need, according to collegeboard?</p>
<p>Btw, I sent in my CSS Profile mid-November, and I didn't do the FAFSA until last month, but the estimate is just based on the CSS Profile.</p>
<p>I had saved a sort of spreadsheet with financial aid info from colleges DD has applied to for the fall. Below is what I had taken from us news website. To my knowledge Fordham does not public the common data set.
I also own the hardback copy of the report. It states "65% of students had need, 24% had need fully met." Again, the average is 75% met in the hard copy book as well as the website.
To be very safe be sure to check how much all undergrads get in aid. Some schools it is more for upperclass, some the same but some drop it much lower once you are there a year. (not Fordham)</p>
<p>Students receiving:
Need-based grants 62%
Need-based self-help aid 52%
Percent of need that was met 75%
Average financial aid package $20,104
Average need-based grant $14,953
Average need-based loan $4,386</p>
<p>The whole topic of Financial Aid is a sensitive one. Fordham serves a large number of students (79%) with it's financial aid program. In doing so, we realize we cannot meet every student's demonstrated need.</p>
<p>We would suggest call our financial aid office if you have concerns about your award. Trying to compare awards with other students is difficult because it is rare that two students present the exact same circumstances in their financial aid application.</p>
<p>I called the financial aid office yesterday, and they said that basically I would just have to wait until my FAFSA is also reviewed so I can see my final package...is there anything I can do until then to possibly increase my chances of getting a larger fin. aid package?</p>
<p>I just recieved my package today and according to what I received today since(I hope and pray) it'll be better in April thought it won't change much I'll be paying about 7 times my EFC....I don't know what to do. I just hope everything works out.</p>
<p>We're in the same boat and I have another child there! SHe received a $15000 scholarship and the rest in loans and we are supposed to come up with the balance. Fairfield gave her everything except the Perkins and Stafford loan so they seem to be the winner</p>
<p>Does anyone think it's possible for there to be a mistake? My EFC was somewhere around 4000 i believe and Fordham gave 13500 including loans yet from another school I got about 41000 (these numbers are strictly fin aid, no scholarship money included). It's such a big difference I was wondering if it could possibly be a mistake.</p>
<p>I would call and ask to speak to a financial aid officer. this is often NOT the person who seems to be an officer and answers the phone. Be sure they have the correct numbers and be ready to fax them copies if there is a mistake. Anything that is a special burden, mostly medical costs, helping support an older relative (with documented paperwork of course) family income dropped since last year..write it down, tell them, fax a letter with the info and your name and SS# in big letters at the top.
this is a guess and not fact at all, so take it with a big grain of salt. Fordham has an extra large applicant pool this year, which does complicate this a bit.
The do not meet need, as tatianaf89's other school did for her. My GUESS is that they meet more need the closer you are to the top of the group they most want to attend. Again a guess - mostly the very top students but within that the top students who loved Fordham most, who have a special skill, leadership etc.
We tried to have DD only look at school she'd want to attend and not have a #1 school, since financial aid will be a big deciding factor so...
I have not mentioned Fordham to her after reading posts here and talking to local parents whose kids are stars at rigourous NJ/NY Catholic prep schools and they didn't get the expected merit packages.</p>
<p>That's what I figured too. I recieved Fordham's package first and was dissappointed because it is my favorite school. I didn't expect to recieve as much from my other school either which was Loyola College in Maryland since they're both so similar, both being Jesuit and probably just as competative. I wish the packages were the other way around. Fordham would already have my deposit lol but I guess I'll see and possibly give them a call. Thanks!</p>
<p>FWIW. I paid personally for my college education. No help from my parents except for some comfort money now and then ($20-$50) a month. I worked two jobs every summer and full time at night (about 30 hours) during the school year. When I was a junior I got a job w/ the university as an RA which at the time paid room, board and half tuition. I also got some grants and loans and graduated w/ $6k of debt.</p>