<p>Ok I just got my fin aid package today. Is this a joke?
Family contribution: 40,100
Estimated financial need: 6,700?</p>
<p>My Dartmouth financial aid package calculated my family's ability to pay to be $16,000. Even that is a lot considering that using the Institutional FAFSA calculator my parent's EFC to be 10,000. Even Cornell, the stingiest of the Ivy leagues, is calculating my family's ability to pay to be $20,000. </p>
<p>What can I do in this situation? Duke is a great school but paying that much for college is simply out of question. Has anyone had any luck with increasing their financial aid offer?</p>
<p>They asked me to email them an appeal letter. The person seemed rather uninterested and unenthusiastic though. </p>
<p>Has anyone had any luck getting Duke to readjust their aid? What I am worrying now is that they will just give me a bunch of loans to meet "100%" of my aid.</p>
<p>They aren't "buying" anyone. They are allowing people who can't pay 45K a year to get an education. The idea of taking out 20000 in loans a year doesn't make me warm and fuzzy when I can go to an ivy league institution with no loans.</p>
<p>mensa...I hope you're not going to Duke because you're a troll. Actually, Duke does "buy" students. Ever heard of the fact that they are the highest ranked school in the US to still offer merit scholarships? I personally think that's disgraceful, and it is one of the reasons why the Ivies always offer better fin aid. </p>
<p>Further, iwantcolly has already shown that the FAFSA calculator said his family should pay 10K a year, less than Dartmouth's estimate of 13K. Thus, at a factual level, you are wrong both about Duke and about Colly's ability to pay.</p>
<p>Regardless, what you said was completely insensitive and abraisive. You know nothing about the poster. Don't pretend to. And you NEVER say things about people's financial situations even if you do know. It is just common courtesy.</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments. I certainly hope you guys are right. I have emailed my counselor with a three page appeal letter so lets see how far that goes. I am planning on calling the office as well to see if they review my application again. </p>
<p>Seriously, it took me a grand total of 5 seconds to choose Duke over my other schools (a bunch of Ivies, top 15s etc). It really is where I want to be. But paying 2x-3x for Duke compared to any of the Ivy Leagues I got into isn't really an option. So yea....</p>
<p>Kinda wish I applied to one of the HYPs right now lol</p>
<p>I mean, I can imagine us being $4,000 off, or even $6000 off. But $24,000 is ridiculous. I'll be the first to tell you to go to Dartmouth is this doesn't get fixed.</p>
<p>Beh. Our FAFSA EFC was about $11,000 less than what's on the financial aid printout I got with my acceptance package (the other schools were ~4-5000 more than our EFC)</p>
<p>Grrr. I REALLY don't wanna go to my state school (You'd think they'd be a bit more generous for those who are invited to Duke Up Close)</p>
<p>"Ever heard of the fact that they are the highest ranked school in the US to still offer merit scholarships? I personally think that's disgraceful, and it is one of the reasons why the Ivies always offer better fin aid."</p>
<p>mboyle1988: Duke doesn't offer those scholarships out of its pockets you know. All of these scholarship funds are endowed by individuals (ie. Robertson, University Scholars, AB Duke, BN Duke). When they give that money, they stipulated how it was going to be used. In this case, Duke faces the choice of using the money to attract better students and strengthen the university or refusing the endowment. I think that's a no-brainer. As for other Ivies, you probably mean HYP which are generally considered to have the best financial aid (ie no loans, etc). Have you looked at their endowments lately? (Harvard (29.2B), Princeton (14.2B), Yale (20B), etc). Compare that with Duke's 4.5B (not paltry, but nowhere near Harvard, or even Pton). I think the better bet is to compare Duke's fin. aid with comparable places (in terms of endowment resources) such as Dartmouth, Brown, WUSTL, Columbia, Cornell, etc.</p>
<p>Yes, Duke has adjusted FA awards. Happened to us. The person who answers the phone could well be a work-study student who is just giving you the information he/she has. There should be a name on your FA letter. Ask for that person. If you get a message saying that e-mail is a better way of communicating (common this time of year), do so. Give details. Give explanations. See what happens.</p>
<p>Also, pm me if you think I can be of any help.</p>
<p>This is certainly my least favorite part about Duke. The financial aid office is a pain to deal with, and it takes a lot of time to get things resolved.</p>
<p>Duke offered me much better aid than both Vandy and WUSTL, even with receiving a half-tuition academic scholarship to WUSTL. They gave us more than FAFSA even predicted they would. So I'm going to have to say they're more than reasonable and will find a way for you to attend, just gotta be patient until things get settled out.</p>