<p>So let’s hypothetically say that I DO happen to get accepted. Will I get a good financial aid package? I’m not a citizen yet, but I’m a permanent resident with a greencard. Feedback anyone?</p>
<p>Have you run your family’s financial information through an online financial aid calculator? Using the institutional method? Do that. Brown’s package should be in the ballpark, or better, than that. </p>
<p>Many people say the package they get is generous and makes it possible for them to attend. Other people say they can’t afford their contribution. It is totally dependent on your family’s specific circumstances.</p>
<p>whats a reliable online financial aid calculator?</p>
<p>
Yes as long as you submit a financial aid application. </p>
<p>
The College Board has a good one: [EFC</a> Calculator: How Much Money for College Will You Be Expected to Contribute?](<a href=“http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp]EFC”>http://apps.collegeboard.com/fincalc/efc_welcome.jsp)</p>
<p>oh so the story about people not receiving good packages and not being able to go is just a rumor?</p>
<p>Read my answer above. Many people get great packages and attend. Some don’t like their packages, and so don’t go. Both modestmelody and franglish frequently post here about their financial aid and how it met their need.</p>
<p>Almost every school that meets 100% financial need assumes that your family will contribute something. That contribution is based on your family’s past income (savings), present income (cash flow) and future earnings (loans). If your family has saved little to no money and is not willing to take out any loans, then yes, you might consider your package poor. Again – what you get and what you think of it totally depends on your personal situation, so making any sort of generalization is simply not possible.</p>
<p>My line is always this-- Brown didn’t make it “cheap” or “easy”, they made it “possible”, and maybe more strongly, “realistic”. As far as I’m concerned, that’s about right for aid that’s based on my ability to pay.</p>
<p>My parents and I had to make some sacrifices, and we certainly spent what was, to us, a ton of money, but Brown made it possible for me to attend.</p>
<p>As it turns out, I received nearly as much in aid as the average merit scholarship I received other places, though almost all of my aid was awarded in the last two years.</p>