<p>I just filled up the net price calculator for 3 schools that I'm about to apply. I tried to put the most exact numbers and facts into required boxes and that's what showed up:</p>
<p>Boston University</p>
<p>Estimated Total Cost of Attendance 59,100$ - Estimated Total Grant/Gift Aid 57,400$
= ESTIMATED NET PRICE 1,700$</p>
<p>Syracuse University</p>
<p>Estimated Total Cost of Attendance 57,450$ - Estimated Total Grant/Gift Aid 40,645$
= ESTIMATED NET PRICE 16,805$
* after loans and student work = 6,105$</p>
<p>Lehigh University</p>
<p>Estimated Total Cost of Attendance 55,370$ - Estimated Total Grant/Gift Aid 49,645$
= 5,725$</p>
<p>That amount of financial aid would be great but can I really expect so much?</p>
<p>When you’re looking at awards that generous, I would rely on the net price calculator results only if:</p>
<p>(1) It’s a school that guarantees to meet full need (BU does not!)</p>
<p>(2) The family does not own a business or have any unusual assets (2nd home, for example).</p>
<p>Some net price calculators add merit aid into the calculation, but I’d be leery of relying on the results. And if there’s a self-employed parent, things can really go to heck in a handbasket!</p>
<p>Boston University is notorious for being all over the map - some kids get great awards, and others get nothing! [This</a> table](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/finaid/apply/incoming/freshman-receiving-scholarships/]This”>http://www.bu.edu/finaid/apply/incoming/freshman-receiving-scholarships/) might help you understand BU financial aid.</p>
<p>Ok, thank you for fast response. What about Syracuse and Lehigh - they seem to have really good average financial aid packages. What are some of the schools in top 100 in the country that would give me similar financial aid packages? (Preferably on East or West Coast).</p>
<p>Syracuse does not meet full need for all accepted students. I don’t believe Lehigh does either.</p>
<p>Did BU ask for the student’s stats?</p>
<p>None of these schools meet full need for all of their students. About half of the students at Lehigh get their need fully met. Also, all three schools do take merit into consideration. You get more money if they want you more, so where you stand in the applicant pool can make a difference as to how much money you get. </p>
<p>My friend’s son is going to BU right now, and it offered him one of the more generous aid packages, so it can really be all over the map as to what you get from these sorts of schools. He got more from BU than was offered at some schools that say they meet full need.</p>
<p>Just to clarify: I’m not looking for schools that will need 100% of my need.
I’m searching for schools from top 100 that will give me generous financial aid packages leaving my with no more than 10k$ out-of pocket money. (after grants/loans/work etc). Those three previously mentioned schools have around 37,000$ average financial aid package (on collegeboard.com) so I guess it’s really generous, isn’t it? My SAT score is 1950 (CR 580 M 700 W 670) and I’m taking it once again in November hoping to improve my CR score to 630-650 pts. Are there any schools from top 100 that would give me merit-based aid for that scores?</p>
<p>Can someone explain it to me?: Let’s say school that costs around 50k$ covers 90%-100% of its students needs. Then when I look at average financial aid package it says that school offers 15,000$ on average in aid (including loans, grants, work). Does it mean that most of the students that accept the offer are able to pay around 35,000 out of the pocket money? </p>
<p>In my situation need would be 50k$. Is that school going to offer me 90% of my need even though their average is only 15,000$?</p>
<p>That’s actually the reason I’m looking more for schools with good average financial packages rather on this % of need met.</p>
<p>If you want a lot of money from a school, you need to look for schools where you are in the upper echelons of accepted students. WIth your stats, the likelihood of you getting top dollar from the listed schools is very small. </p>
<p>The averages mean nothing when it comes down to what YOU or any given person will get. If you need $50K, the only way you will get it is if a school that guarantees to meet full need, comes up with a need calculation of $50K for you and accepts you, or if you get merit money up to that amount. There are very few schools and few students who get that kind of aid/merit package, so it’s going to be a tough go. Yes, a school that gives an average of $15K a person in aid, may well be giving some students $50K but you had better believe that those are the top notch students or the school guarantees to meet 100% of need and those students have that need by their definition. </p>
<p>I do not see any schools with a lot of name recognition, high rankings and reputation that will be giving you merit based aid. You will need to look for school where you would be in the upper 5% or so in terms of test scores.</p>