FYI, tried calling financial aid and got a personal voicemail, probably because they’re all working from home. I sent an email, will let you all know if I hear back.
Has anyone on Long Island get anything yet? I’m starting to get worried…
S20 accepted!
That’s the good news.
Bad news: he’s never seen the campus and doesn’t know enough about the school. We were going to go over April break if he got in.
Now what?
Any theories why the international acceptance packages have been withheld by Lafayette? Could it be to review and revise their decisions? According to an article in Forbes, because of the uncertainty brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, colleges are offering more seats to American citizens/residents, which otherwise would have gone to international applicants. International applicants requiring financial aid are especially being turned down and or are being wait-listed in greater numbers.
If it helps anyone my D graduated from Lafayette in 2016 and had a great expereince. You can feel free to ask me any questions, PM me etc. if I can be of help. It is frustrating to not be able to visit.
We received our acceptance letter today in NJ. While it is an honor to be accepted, no merit money was given. They did take the time to write my son a personalized letter which I thought was a nice touch. We do not qualify for need based aid. The total estimated cost is $76,826.00. Unforunately, we won’t be able to attend at that price especially since we have received some generous offers from other schools. Lafayette is a wonderful school for those that have the finances to attend. I just cannot possibly justify $76k per year for an engineering degree when we can get it for less at some other very good schools.
I really don’t understand how these schools justify charging almost $80k/year?!?! I don’t care how prestigious, which academic services are provided, how great job placement is, etc.
1 Like
@OverseasFather - I’m really being faithful that even though the international packages had not been mailed at the time of the IG post that your decision will be on the portal tomorrow when it is released.
Did the article in Forbes share a source admitting that they are indeed holding back international acceptances? I really hope that this is not the case.
Anybody from NYC get their’s?
Does anyone know if they send rejection letters in the mail as well? Or if you get rejected/waitlisted would you only be able to see that on the portal?
rejection letter are not sent in the mail, they will be on the portal
@2024prospect I could not agree with you more. After 4 years the cost be well north of 80k!! Not sure how these schools can justify this and where are folks getting the money??
1 Like
D accepted. Lafayette is a terrific school, really happy. Not sure why there’s outrage over the price. Yes, it’s pricey. But hello!! Most schools are. Didn’t you all know BEFORE your S/D applied what the deal was with merit/financial aid at Lafayette? To be shocked and appalled now shows that due diligence wasn’t done.
Thanks. I sincerely hope so. We really liked Lafayette, and my son had already envisioned himself at Lafayette.
The article does not specifically quote or name any college. It only alludes to them by referring to anecdotal evidence, inferred from quotes of various college admission reps.
@kbkmc68 Certainly not shocked at the cost…we knew that going in. We also had an expectation of our family EFC, looking at FAFSA and the NPCs online. Lafayette’s EFC appears to be higher than what’s calculated in the FAFSA; which they’re certainly entitled to do, but it’s frustrating for those of us who allowed our children to apply based on other assumptions in good faith.
@Quantify. That’s fair. In my experience, merit aid at Lafayette is typically reserved for the highest qualified students with excellent stats. They also meet 100% of need if you have need. With everything going on in the world right now, it should be interesting to see what their yield is for this class… but we won’t know that for some time.
@kbkmc68 The do appear to be meeting 100% of calculated need; it’s their calculation of need that I’m having a problem with 
My hope is that I’ll be able to negotiate a better calculation of need. Lafayette is D’s first choice, but we’ve already had the conversation about value, and she knows she has to consider the other offers (some with significant merit aid) in her decision.
I agree with you. My D has other good options as well w/great merit… it’s going to be a tough choice. Definitely push back on the costs with them - you have nothing to lose. And good luck with your decision. Big fan of Lafayette… it’s a special place!
I knew the price going in. However, our high school guidance counselor said not to be afraid to apply to private schools because many are generous with merit aid. He felt my S would be a good fit for Lafayette and encouraged us to apply even though I told him it was out of our price range. We have had a couple highly ranked private schools offer 20k in merit scholarships. I personally think Lafayette would benefit from offering more merit scholarships of smaller amounts than their full or half scholarships to just a select few. That smaller 20k scholarship may make the difference for someone who is on the fence. I believe the school is limiting themselves and missing out on a lot of promising students by not offering more merit scholarships. When the cost to attend any school is 80k per year you really need to think long and hard if it is worth it. There is going to come a point where people are going to realize this and the price goughing will finally stop. Anyway, I will get off my soap box now. Great school but full price is too much for me.
1 Like
@kbkmc68 - not sure anyone mentioned being “shocked and appalled.” It’s a general observation. If you think paying $80k for a Lafayette education is a better business decision (and let’s be honest, all of this should be a business decision) than paying less (and in some instances much less) at other schools that offer a similar or better education, perhaps some more due diligence needs to be done on your end…