Negotiating Financial Aid Package at Duke -- HELP?!

Long story short, after being accepted to Duke, I learned I did not qualify for financial aid. Paying full-tuition is impossible for my family w/o taking loans. Here would be the key points in the appeal:


[QUOTE=""]

Parents income decreased considerably last year. Because our FAFSA only shows our 2016 income, Duke’s financial aid office wasn’t even aware of this. My parents’ income is still high (roughly 250k), but it is currently impossible for us to pay Duke’s sticker price, as much as we want to. I’ll have sibling who will be simultaneously in college, the income from my father’s job is highly variable, there is an additional dependent in our household, and we live in an expensive city.

I was accepted to USC w/ their Trustee Scholarship, which would grant me the entire four-year tuition (~230k) in merit-based aid. I was also accepted to Rice w/ their Trustee Scholarship, which would grant me approximately half of their full tuition (~100k) in merit-based aid.

[/QUOTE]

I need you guys to be completely honest here. I desperately want to go to Duke and I love the school, but my parents simply cannot afford the full-tuition and I’ll need to make an appeal. If it means anything, I also received a likely letter from them where the academic dean considered me “one of their top recruits.” I didn’t qualify for any of Duke’s merit scholarships. Some scholarships needed to me to be from the Carolinas and others had a need-based component too, so it was impossible for me to qualify for any.

I’m not looking for a full-ride. I just want to be in a situation where attending Duke won’t seriously compromise my family’s finances and my sister’s college education. Advice?

You can try. From what you’ve written, even showing a decrease in income will not put you into a ‘needs aid’ income level. Usually schools don’t match merit aid from other schools, but you can try.

Otherwise, you can go to USC which is also a wonderful option.

Twoinanddone, I do know many top schools will “match” merit aid, but ONLY with other top institutions. Would Rice and USC be considered Duke’s peer institutions in this scenario? Or would Duke be above them? That’s another thing that concerns me.

Schools that offer similar merit awards will compare them, but you said you didn’t get merit at Duke. Some schools only give merit, others only need based aid, so you have to compare similar programs. You said most of the Duke merit awards are specifically need based or require residence in North Carolina. A USC merit award wouldn’t be the same.

Your first point is that you want Duke to qualify you for need based aid because of a drop in income. I don’t think they will qualify you with those facts. Your family is still high income even with the drop in income. The other two schools did not give you need based aid so their is nothing for Duke to compare as to need.

You can try to get Duke to consider USC/Rice offers for Duke merit aid. Duke has to decide if those are peer schools AND if they have a similar type of aid. I do consider them peer schools, but it’s up to Duke to decide.

Okay, then would it make sense to conclude that their willingness to give me aid will have to less to do with their own bank account, but more to do with how much they want me?

Nope,

If Duke wanted to give you merit, you would have received one of their very competitive merit scholarships. Unfortunately, you did not. Even with your parent’s drop in income, you stated they still make 250k.

USC saw that you had no fiancial need and did not ward you any need based aid.

Duke will not do a financial review of need based aid based on merit aid that you go from someplace else.

Your best bet is to choose between USC and rice, 2 wonderful choices and move forward.

How much do you need in order to attend? Because even in the unlikely situation that Duke reconsiders they will not offer you more than 5 or 10K. I have many friends in the 250K bracket with multiple kids in college and the highest need award that any of them got is 10K. That is the absolutely highest and only from one college as for most of them they were still full pays. We are in much lower bracket and talking to a school right now and they already told us not to even bother if the only excuse we have is that we do not want to borrow or that we got merit elsewhere. We have a couple other excuses so we will give it a try but seriously I expect nothing. If we had the offers you did I would not even bother. You have wonderful choices. Do you understand how lucky you are? Choose between USC or Rice.

Schools expect families to pay with a combo of current income, savings and sometimes loan. With a household income at your level, there would be the expectation that there would be some college savings and the ability to qualify for loans if needed. Can’t pay and don’t want to pay are not the same. By all means appeal, and show the reduction in income, but you are likely not to get much if anything at all

Your income reduced to a very STILL HIGH $250,000.

Did you really think you would be eligible for need based aid anywhere with family income in that range?

Will your sibling be in college in fall 2018…or is that something that will happen later?

My free advice…take the Trustee Scholarship at USC. It is not income dependent, is renewable for four years AND has some wonderful additional benefits in addition to the money. Presumably you applied to USC with the intention of attending if accepted. They have most definitely sweetened the pot for you with this Trustee award.

Duke…didn’t! Is the grass really greener on the Duke side of the fence?

I’m not sure how they look at high but extremely variable income. I know what you are talking about. My income tanked by nearly half one year. It can make planning tough.

You should ask right now for reconsideration AND how this will work going forward. Time is short. If they don’t give you enough to allow your family to comfortably pay, or it looks like it will keep being a problem each year, I’d go USC (so cal or so Carolina?) or Rice and not look back. If it is USoCal, then you have an awesome nearly free alternative.

Congratulations on your results!

It’s the University of Southern California. While I’m very grateful they afforded me their full-scholarship, I’m hesitant on taking it. I’ve lived 10 minutes from USC for my entire life. I’ve always wanted to be a part of a fresh, brand new environment in college. I don’t think I’ll find that at USC. And while USC is by all means an excellent school, when I visited, the fit aspect just wasn’t there.

I’m really at a loss for what to do.

At this point, it can’t hurt to ask. But I don’t want to give you false hope. Duke gave my D the absolute worst FA package of any school she applied to. And our income wasn’t much over 1/2 of your parents’ income. Keep in mind that Duke’s FA packages include loans and work study, which is likely all you will be able to get on appeal.

@Pawrrrrrr A friend of my daughter won the Trustee Scholarship at USC, and was also admitted to Stanford, her dream school. Her family was in the same situation, no need-based aid from Stanford, but truly couldn’t afford it. She enrolled at USC, and 4 years later was the valedictorian of her engineering discipline (yes, USC recognizes these students!) She turned those stats into a fully funded grad program at Stanford.

Take the money and run off to do fabulous things in your education and in your life! Even though you have lived in LA all your life, being on campus will be a truly different and transforming experience for you.

I agree with the above, it’s simply dollars and sense. Let’s say you get what you can possibly get at Duke ( my son is enrolling there in the fall 2018, and yes we love the school but let’s say) they give you $20,000 a year (which is high) but let’s say that happens. Duke runs $73k a year so you have to borrow 53k a year for 4 years total debt just over $200k for 4 years.

USC gives you a $232,000 education for free, you graduate a great school with no debt, no $1000-$1500 a month college loans to repay, it gives you a huge leap ahead after graduation. Look, it always comes down to money, it’s a $430,000 swing as I see it. Duke is a great school but it is worth over $200k in loans to you? Enjoy USC

You can appeal the decision at Duke, but don’t hold your breath. They have every incentive to offer less money, because for every person that rejects an offer, there’s 100 more willing to accept it at whatever price they want to charge. If you have a full tuition scholarship at USC, you’re in good shape.

So USC is in your backyard…

Ok…so what about Rice? Is Rice affordable? Sounds like that’s $25k per year in merit.

If Rice is an option, then maybe tell them about the USC offer and see if they can increase theirs???

How much will your parents pay each year???

What is your major and career goal??

Full COA at USC is $72K; free tuition ($53.5K) makes your family’s out of pocket cost $18.5K. Call it $75K for 4 years.

Full COA at Rice is $63K; half tuition ($22.5K) makes your family’s out of pocket cost $40.5K. Call it $165K for 4 years.

I’m a Rice grad and love the school but from a ROI standpoint I’m not even going to try to make a case for paying over twice the amount that USC is going to cost, even for Rice’s strengths (e.g. engineering).

I get that staying in your home area for college doesn’t seem appealing. But FWIW I can assure you that LA would suddenly become a lot more appealing after your first week in August in Houston!

Actually full COA at USC is closer to $76,000, possibly more if choosing McCarthy Honors dorm. However, the Trustee will take care of full tuition at about $55,000 for the OP. In choosing between $21,000 to $22,000 a year at USC vs. full pay at Duke, there is no choice. Fight on! @illiniowl, lol about the first week in August in Houston. I’d also choose L.A. weather any day over a humid swamp in Houston any day! Nothing against Rice :-).