<p>If a family/individual has special circumstances that causes their EFC to be a very bad representation of what they can actually afford to pay for college, is the Rice financial aid office understanding of that? I know this isn't a question that is easy to answer, but my best hope is that someone who had a previous experience in which they could not afford what Rice initially offered and Rice reconsidered based on valid reasons from the family/student.</p>
<p>They were very generous for me. And by that I mean bump up from ~$38k/year to nearly a full ride generous, about a $12k difference.</p>
<p>Just call financial aid and explain your situation, and they will work with you if it is clearly need-based and not (I got more merit aid at X University based).</p>
<p>I totally second what FallenAngel has to say. My initial aid offer in December was somewhat low, but after talking with the aid office over these past few months and meeting with them face to face, they’ve also raised my Financial Aid award quite a bit because of some special circumstances regarding my family’s financial status. And what’s even more impressive is that even though I was committed to go to Rice because of ED, they still were so helpful throughout this whole process, which isn’t the case at a lot of other schools.</p>
<p>No matter which school it is, it’s definitely worth a try to contact the Financial Aid office and explain the situation. It can’t hurt, but as others have noted, it can definitely help.</p>