<p>So my financial aid package for the first year is incredibly generous and is combined with the nation merit offer to make Vanderbilt affordable. However, the financial aid guy told my dad that when my brother graduates from college (he will be a senior when I am a freshman), my second, third, and fourth year costs will double. This is just not ok. My family cannot afford this, but I really want to go there... My dad plans to call them and tell them straight up that I won't be able to attend if the cost increases, but will that do any good? I want to attend so badly, it hurts. But I won't ruin my parents' bank accounts or my future for an undergrad degree. Please give me some advice or at least consolation :(</p>
<p>Give it a shot! Maybe have your dad call the office and you can email the office? Tell them how much you love Vanderbilt and how much you want to attend the school. But at the same time that you don’t want to burden your parents. Really, it’s worth a shot since it doesn’t have the “non-negotiable” label.</p>
<p>I’ve just been accepted a few days ago - I’m an international student that didn’t apply for any aid at all.</p>
<p>Is it too late to apply for some? They’re asking me to fill out some forms relating to financial aid so I was a bit confused - I thought aid was done at the same time as admissions.</p>
<p>I believe it is not too late to apply for aid; the forms due around the same time as admissions were for priority financial aid, meaning you get your package at the same time as your decision. Hurry up and apply for FA if you need it though, because it takes time to process.</p>
<p>It’s unlikely that your costs will double once your brother graduates next year. You should probably expect something closer to a 50% increase in your family’s contribution. I’ve found that the Net Price Calculator is pretty accurate for Vanderbilt. You should run it for your current situation (both of you in school next year) and note what the “Estimated Net Price” is. Then go back and run it again but change your brother’s status to “Not In College” and see what the new “Estimated Net Price” is. That should give you a pretty good estimate of what your family will be paying in your Sophomore year and beyond.</p>
<p>The financial aid is not really negotiable in my experience unless there’s been a significant change in your finances. One less in college, and one less dependent, increases EFC by quite a bit-- it doubled my EFC from 12k to 25k this year as determined by FAFSA.</p>
<p>Pancaked, those are almost exactly the same as my numbers, with the second being waaaay too high.</p>
<p>Yeah it’s tough. I mean, look at it from Vandy’s perspective: Your family now has one less child to care for financially, and one less child needing college tuition. It would appear that your family should have a lot more money at their disposal. In reality, these changes may not give you much more financial freedom at all, but it still does appear that way. </p>
<p>If your brother will be a senior while you are a freshman, he actually will still be in college/a dependent when you file FAFSA around this time next year. Plus, you’ll have two kids in college, including you, which will help you out on FAFSA. I don’t think this will really affect you until your Junior year. Might want to post in the financial aid section to confirm this but I remember it being the case for me.</p>
<p>We are waiting on Vandy’s aid package and just applied for aid last Saturday. We have a similar situation, but big brother will probably go on to grad school. Would that make a difference?</p>