<p>I was accepted at Depauw University last week but I have not received need based fin aid decision yet. They want me to send an updated certificate of finances first. This is my first admissions decision and would they more likely give me more fin aid if I would commit to them now before the other decisions come out? Financial aid is a crucial part for me and I would need about 13 k more from them (I got 19 k in merit aid) to be able to attend. I would commit now to Depauw of they would offer me 10 k in merit aid, but I don't know if this is a good idea or not. What is the best way to approach them about financial aid? Should I just send in an updated version of my certificate of finances and add a couple more thousand dollars and ask them to maybe meet me "halfway" or 90% of the way in this case?</p>
<p>Once you’ve committed, they have no incentive to provide you with further aid, do they?</p>
<p>Wait until you get your other packages. At that point, you may be able to go back to them and say that University X offered you $10k more than Depauw . . . but Depauw is really four first choice, and you would attend if Depauw could match the other offer.</p>
<p>You don’t need to offer to meet them halfway . . . they’re expecting you to do that anyway.</p>
<p>Did your run the NPC for DePauw to see what the average aid package is for someone in your financial situation is? How does that compare with your EFC? Where do you stand in terms of student pool in SAT/Scores? Is financial aid and admiission the same office? </p>
<p>When you get your other offers, you can then talk to fin aid and Admissions. If you already have close to your EFC met or more than what the NPCs indicate in your package, it’s going to be tough or impossible for Financial AId to give you more money. They go by formula. That you need more makes no difference if your need is already met. You can ask them to replace some of the Stafford with grants, so that you can put that towards EFC, or ask for work study to be replaced with grants so you can work those hours on your own to make money towards your EFC, but they aren’t going to give you more than your EFC indicates. They often cannot. It’s not YOUR definition of need but theirs that counts and the FAFSA EFC. </p>
<p>But admissions might be able to come up with some more merit money to shift things over a little, and you can discuss that with them too. But you need to know how much you can get from other schools. Though this is not a negotiation process, getting a better package from a like or more highly rated school can maybe bring out some more possibilities. You really are not likely to win in these discussions as they do this every year thousands of times over, and you are a green amateur. You do realize that they accept enough people that they count on some of them not attending. </p>
<p>Usually FIn Aid and Admisisons are two separate offices, and they do not tend to work with each other. Fin aid are the bean counters, and they really don’t care most of the time whether you accept of not, and the kids who back out first leave more money to distribute and to give out in the tail end when they know more certainly what they need.</p>
<p>What does this even mean? You now want to admit to having more money available than you admitted to in the original filing? This isn’t a negotiation about how much you are willing to pay. Your submission is supposed to be an accurate and complete financial disclosure, not the opening gambit in some kind of game. If you have assets you haven’t already disclosed, that is fraud, and you need to correct your submission immediately.</p>
<p>Are you an int’l? or are you a US citizen? It sounds like you’re an int’l. </p>
<p>Does DePauw give int’ls need based aid or only merit aid.</p>
<p>Reading between the lines, it appears that you’ve “held back” some funds when you showed your “certifcate of finances” as a strategy to get more money.</p>
<p>I apologize for not being clear enough in my first post. I am an international student first of all. Second of all, the money I am apparently “holding back” in your eyes are 100% loan. Yes, I can probably borrow a couple more thousand dollars a year from my state, but I have already stated in my financial aid documents that I will borrow 20 k dollars a year, which is already more than my state’s “max” limit to students who need much aid. I can probably borrow more money from the bank or other institutions as well, but I am not suicidal (sorry for being crass).</p>
<p>My situation cannot be compared to a regular American’s in my opinion. I might be wrong in some cases but from what I have heard, admissions and financial aid offices do not have as clear rules for international students as for Americans since we have different financial situations and they make exceptions a lot more often depending on if they really want us for their statistics and international quota. Tell me if I am wrong but this is my view for now. My guidance counselor and another independent counselor have both informed me of colleges who really want Swedish students and that they are sometimes willing to pay more for us if we meet their demands academically among other things.</p>
<p>I may also have not been clear in my strategy which is: Promise Depauw that I will attend if they meet my financial need (which is not as concrete as you say “in my opinion”) and propose this before I get other offers. I thought maybe they would see my willingness to really commit and offer me more finacial aid. I have not gotten their financial aid decision yet as I said in my first post since they want an updated certificate of finances first. My thought was to suggest my offer before I get their financial aid decision as well if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>I hope this gives more insight to how my situation looks like and that you can advise me on what to do next. Thank you all for your responses and I am sorry for not being clearer in my first post. I would be even more thankful if I could get new responses now :)</p>
<p>No. You do not want to promise DePauw anything right now. What you can do is send an email thanking them for the merit money and telling them that they are your first choice and that you hope that your final financial aid package will make your attendance possible.</p>
<p>You also have to sit down with your parents and determine what are the real figures you should include in that certificate of finances. Do not make up numbers or make assumptions about where you can get loans and for how much money. If your numbers are not accurate, even if you do get into college here and get an aid package that you think will work, if the officer who interviews you for your student visa doesn’t believe the numbers you won’t get that visa.</p>
<p>I thank you for your input. The first paragraph helped me, but the second paragraph made me realize that I have still not been clear enough.</p>
<p>The financial info I have given them is very accurate and there is no guessing involved. I am loaning as much as they have agreed to, but if I would tell them that I need a couple more thousand dollars per year I might have a chance of getting it since they want to help, but have certain rules at the same time. I cannot ask for more money right now since I have no offer good enough for them to meet. That is why I need probably 10 k in need based financial aid for the state to agree to support me with those extra 3 k dollars a year (as a loan of course). What I am trying to say is: it is not black or white.</p>
<p>How a school handles international students is not known most of the time, other than at those few schools that will guarantee to meet full need, and even then there is that issue as to how need is defined and how it is met.</p>
<p>So, congratulations on your acceptance to Depauw. It’s tough for an international student to get accepted, especially needing aid so you ‘ve done well already. I don’t think any of us can give you specific strategies as to how to get what you need. I don’t think (and this is opinion only) that it’s a good idea to bring anymore money out there on the line, loan or otherwise. They will give you a package and if you can come up with the rest, great. Otherwise, you can then discuss it with them. And if you add any possibilities for loan money that you can access, you are likely to get less, not more. Better you hold that in reserve. Please understand that most of the time Financial aid is a separate office from admissions. They want to give you as little as they possibly can and if you don’t come, that’s admissions’ problem.</p>
<p>I will borrow 20 k dollars a year, which is already more than my state’s “max” limit to students who need much aid. I can probably borrow more money from the bank or other institutions as well, but I am not suicidal (sorry for being crass).</p>
<p>You’re borrowing too much. How much do you think you’ll be earning upon graduation? HOw much will your loan payments be?</p>
<p>Thanks cptofthehouse, I find your logic very logical (:P). I will just send them my certificate of finances, tell them how much I would love to attend their school and then hope for the best?</p>
<p>mom2collegekids, since my parents will not contribute nearly as much as the colleges I’m applying to would want them to, I must loan that money and I thought it would be better to loan as much as I can to prove to the colleges that I can afford a part of the tuition. Last year I told them basically that I need a full ride (since my parents had it even worse financially, I had no job and I was very optimistic) and did not get in anywhere. That was not such a good tactic… This year I have tried to be as honest as possible in how much money I can get my hands on and will also use all the money I have been working for during my gap year and will continue to use summer job earnings to pay for school. I hope this effort will not be for nothing and that some colleges will try and meet me halfway.</p>
<p>Another question: Some colleges don’t require Swedish students to study for 4 years since many of the courses first year have already been covered in the last year of Swedish high school. If I only needed to go there for 3 years I could offer more per year. Should I ask this before or after I get their financial aid decision?</p>
<p>Swedishchris, you are already in, so this is not a repeat of last year. You do what you can when you get there in terms of getting to know the financial aid officers and help in getting more money that might make its way to the school. Right now you wait and see what they come up with. You don’t offer up more when the school is trying to figure out how little they can get away with giving you. Fill out your form with back up as to where your money is coming from and send it to the college. They will then fill in the rest. IF there is a shortage, they will contact you. To get your student visa, you need to verify all of your money sources. The school then fills in what they are going to give you. But they are not going to rescind you acceptance over this. You can discuss this with them as the need arises. Right now, verify what you put down on the forms that Fin aid has right now in front of them. You are making me dizzy with all of these possibilities of more money that you can get. I don’t think it will be received the way you are hoping it will be at FIn Aid.</p>
<p>"The purpose of the ISCF is to help the college obtain complete, accurate, and standardized information about the funds available to international applicants who wish to study in the United States. Colleges must verify the financial resources of international applicants, and financial verification must be made prior to institutional issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20) which is needed for a student visa. By completing and returning the ISCF to the College, an applicant, if admitted, may obtain the College’s authorization and issuance of a Certificate of Eligibility (Form I-20).</p>
<p>It is important that you answer each of the questions and obtain the appropriate signatures; otherwise, the form will be considered incomplete. A bank official’s signature and seal is required on the certification if the student is partially or totally supported by personal savings. A complete ISCF will help United States consuls make their decisions and help expedite the issuance of a student visa."</p>
<p>You need to fill this out to get your student visa. You need to show where all of the money is and you need proof that you have it, as you cannot cannot the visa to study in the US> You should fill it out as close to possible to what you have already sent to Depauw with the proof of the numbers. This is not the time to elaborate. Depauw will then fill in the rest, with the financial aid. You may have gotten all you need because you can’t come to this country without that form complete and verified. Most of the time,schools just reject international students if the school cannot come up with the need that the student is showing. </p>
<p>So now is not at time to fool around with this. FIll it out with the verification as closely as you can on the forms that you already completed for Depauw. Don’t complicate the matter with ideas and negotiations. De pauw will call you if they cannot give you enough to make this doable, but I think they will want this a done deal. Please keep it simple.</p>
<p>Yes, they are lending it to me. I could not find a verb for the word loan so I used borrow even if that may be wrong.</p>
<p>I just read the letter again and I may have misunderstood it. Only if there has been a change in my financial circumstance I will need to send an updated version of my certificate of finances. They will contact me soon about my need based aid decision. Sorry for the mixed signals, but should I still send them a mail thanking them for the merit aid and tell them how much I want to go there or would the effort be in vain or maybe even hurt my chances of good aid? The email is 8 days old and it maybe is too late to thank them? Or am I just being too sensitive?</p>
<p>EDIT: @cptofthehouse, I have sent them a bank certificate stating how much savings my parents have and in my financial aid document the rest is filled in. My bank does not sign foreign documents because they do not want to be responsible in case anything bad happens (i don’t know any more details though). The college needs to be sure that I have enough money for one year of studies and my parents could pay that if they had to, even though they would more likely want to pay for utilities, food, water, gas, mortgage payments and other things. They don’t want me ending up on the streets in the US begging for money, basically. This is how I read between the lines since the US has a very strict system that does not allow just anyone in.</p>
<p>So I don’t think the certificate of finances is my problem, even though I had to get a custom written one from my bank. I just hope they meet my subjective need or what you would like to call it, not that they have to.</p>