<p>One thing I've noticed with people's posts is that it seems like some FA packages are coming quite late this year. Does it seem that way to anyone else?</p>
<p>I wonder if this is a strategy on the part of some colleges: Send out acceptances, let the kid/family get super excited about being accepted to a favorite choice, the kid and parents tell EVERYONE that the student is going to Dream U. But, then when the less-than-adequate FA package comes weeks later, the family sucks it up to figure out how to make up gaps or pay for it. Also, with some of the FA packages coming so late, it gives little time to successfully appeal before May 1. Can that be the strategy of some schools?</p>
<p>It's sad to see kids on CC with their announcement on their sceenname box (for example) Location: Calif ---> UXXX '14, only to now see them post that they've just received FA packages that aren't doable. What an emotional roller coaster and embarrassment if they've been telling everyone that they're going to UXXX only to now have to resort to Plan B because the newly-received FA package isn't affordable.</p>
<p>I agree with you completely. In my opinion, the FA pkg should accompany the acceptance letter. To have kids and their families waiting anxiously throughout the entire month of April is ridiculous. I saw a post here somewhere about standardizing the FA award letters to make them clearer and easier to compare. I think that is a great idea as well.</p>
<p>I’d love to see the government mandate a standardized layout for any financial aid offer that includes a subsidized or unsubsidized federal loan or Pell grant. In my ideal world, it would first show the cost of attendance using a standard format, with a breakout that shows cost components (tuition & fees, room & board, books & supplies, travel, personal expenses) with a total. Then two sections, one labeled Scholarships & Grants: Federal, State or Institutional funds that do not need to be repaid by the student, itemized with a total, and the other labeled Loans that can only include student (not parent loans) with a total. Then a summary that shows the Federal EFC for the student, the COA, the amount paid by Scholarships and Grants, and calculates a remaining total that must be paid via a combination of student loans, family contribution, or parent loans.</p>
<p>It would make life a lot easier on inexperienced families.</p>
<p>I agree that colleges should move to some standardized form. I wouldn’t think that the gov’t would need to determine such because fixes/mods would be too hard to get thru. Plus, the feds could only require how THEIR aid is listed, they’d have no say about how state or institution aid is listed.</p>
<p>Don’t colleges belong to any kind of “group” - like National Association of colleges and universities? If there is such a group, why can’t they come up with something and expect member institutions to follow the format? </p>
<p>I would like to see standardized COAs…some school list books, some don’t. Some list commuting COAs, some don’t. Some include travel and some don’t (and some don’t include OOS travel which is higher!)</p>
<p>apparently, there are some schools who are using FA as yield “hooks” according to CC; ED kids don’t have packages yet, while RD kids are getting them…imo, that’s absolutely disgusting; I don’t care what the reason is…</p>
<p>Mom2CK – As long as the government has its oar in the water (a la Stafford or Pell grants) they can absolutely specify how a financial aid letter has to be formatted, what information it must contain, and what information it may not contain. Think of nutritional panels on food.</p>
<p>S was admitted to GW/Elliot. With his other schools, FA award info arrived within days. Not so GW. Phone calls were no help – just kept being told “any day now.” We were finally able to get it this past Friday, April 23rd, though we didn’t receive the official email til the next day. Top merit scholars seemed to have received theirs pretty promptly.</p>
<p>apparently, there are some schools who are using FA as yield “hooks” according to CC; ED kids don’t have packages yet, while RD kids are getting them…imo, that’s absolutely disgusting; I don’t care what the reason is…</p>
<p>Really? I thought ED kids got FA info when they were accepted so that they knew whether they would have to decline over the money issue.</p>
<p>Mom2CK – As long as the government has its oar in the water (a la Stafford or Pell grants) they can absolutely specify how a financial aid letter has to be formatted, what information it must contain, and what information it may not contain. Think of nutritional panels on food.</p>
<p>Food is a bit different issue. </p>
<p>The fed gov’t would have a hard time mandating exactly how FA packages are set up without threatening to withhold federal grants for non-compliance (a penalty that wouldn’t fit “the crime.”) </p>
<p>I would prefer that colleges figure out some kind of standard amongst themselves.</p>
<p>I found the packages for my twins came later than with my son…I actually had his letters still in a folder (not overall that organized though)
Providence and Fordham were about the same and Drew was always early, but others were later. Marist I know was a week later this year. Everytime the calls would come about accepted students, open houses, I would say, when I receive the FA package, I will let you know. One school told me they were having “issues” but they would go out soon, another had a “delay”. They know the amount of work, they know the schedule, if the FA office can’t work with admissions and do it together, especially at the smaller schools, I don’t know why. To get the admissions Monday and the FA Thursday or the following week did make the angst longer and it also made trip decisions harder.</p>
And that was the scenario for S and his two EA schools last year. I didn’t let S go to the EA Accepted Students program at Georgetown (his favored school), because at the time (late March) we didn’t know his finaid package.</p>