<p>weenie, I think that this is what you are supposed to do. They do not count your future worries in the formula for efc. Lets say that you have 2,3,4 or even more children, and they are spaced 4+ years apart....oh well, efc is figured for the one in that year. You catch a break on the living expenses for that year for your other dependants, but they are not thinking about what a parent might be thinking about when calculating that efc. The fact that they expect 30,000+ out of a family for one kid in one year is one thing, but coming up with those dollars for 15 years (3/4kids for 4/5 years each if they do not overlap in college years) is quite another situation! You are also going to have higher efc if you add to your retirement fund while you have kids in school. This can last for a decade and half in the scenario I just described!</p>
<p>Weenie, does Denison require a 3.2 to keep that merit money? I think that is steep for a freshman. I am glad that your son was able to meet it. My son was offered only one scholarship where a 3.2 was required, but it started at 3.0 and climbed by .1 each semester until the 3.2 was reached. He is not attending (financial aid looks poor if a student missed the mark). Interestingly, it was his most generous merit offer (and sticker price was lower than most privates), and he was also offered the honors program, but S turned down this offer (his decision).</p>
<p>Weenie, and I guess about that 60,000, it should have been saved in the parent name, rather than the student's name, for the best financial outcome. Jeez....</p>