NYU Financial Aid

Colleges and Universities A-Z New York University
1

<p>I would like to go to NYU, but I'm afraid I can't afford to attend. My EFC is around $5,000. I absolutely need financial aid to attend. The most I'd be willing to pay per semester is around 15,000. Ideally, it would be less than that. </p>

<p>Here are my stats:
SAT: 2060, CR: 700, W: 680,M: 680
SAT II: US History- 620, Math 1- 630
GPA: 4.6 W (may be higher, I will know at the start of the new semester)
AP English test : 4
Top 10% of class </p>

<p>Junior year classes: AP English 3, AP US History, Pre-AP Spanish 3, Pre-AP Algebra 2, Pre-AP Physics, Graphic Design and Illustration, Pre-AP Studio Art 2</p>

<p>Expected Senior year classes: AP English 4, AP Government, AP Economics, Pre-AP Pre-Cal, AP Environmental Science, AP Spanish 4,IB Art, Office Aid to counselors ( I had an open block, and I could get a good rec. from them)
This schedule might change</p>

<p>ECs:Art Club president since Sophomore year( this year we're becoming a National Art Honor Society chapter)
NHS member
Teen Docent at Dallas Museum of Art this summer, I'm looking into doing some more volunteer work there during the school year
volunteer at grandmother's church
Helped design and paint mural at the square in my town along with students from the University of North Texas
Volunteer at the Children's art tent at the Arts and Jazz Fest in '10 and '11.</p>

<p>Other: I was accepted to Bard College at Simon's Rock my Sophomore year, but I couldn't attend due to financial reasons
I have been a Type 1 Diabetic since August 2008.
Certified in Adobe Photoshop CS4
National Spanish Exam '10- above national average
National Spanish Exam '11- bronze medal</p>

2

<p>NYU gives awful financial aid. My friend with better stats only got $1,000 scholarship. Don’t bank on getting more than a few thousand in loans from NYU. Apply to outside scholarships.</p>

3

<p>I don’t think I will apply then. I’m just going to stick to the colleges that are known to have good financial aid.</p>

4

<p>Many people do not understand how NYU financial aid works. In order to clarify, allow me to repost an old post here that I did a while ago that indicates how financial aid at NYU works.</p>

<p>(1) NYU DOES NOT meet full need. They are VERY stingy with funds, as our endowment is VERY small. And don’t quote it’s 2.3 billion! That’s so much money! Well, that has to keep NYU operational. If we look at an expenditure, how much does all that New York City real estate cost yearly? Professor salaries, other staff salaries? Providing for 43,000 students in the heart of one of the most expensive cities in the world, in one of the most expensive zip codes in New York, is VERY costly.</p>

<p>(2) NYU gives aid NOT on a need basis, but RATHER on a desirability basis. Most NYU financial aid comes in the form of scholarships, large scholarships are given to the students they want more, whereas smaller ones given to students they want less. Admissions ranks the desirability of students and the financial aid office allocates funds based on the rankings of the students. Typically students are ranked in tiers of desirability.</p>

<p>(3) There are of course exceptions to (2), wherein NYU will give larger amounts to people more in need. However, these usually occur within the same desirability ranking. E.g. a student in tier 1 (most desirable) with EFC $10,000, MAY get more than another student also in tier 1 with EFC $25,000.</p>

<p>(4) Trying to appeal a financial aid decision is VERY difficult and in some cases impossible. Even if you can appeal, NYU RARELY grants appeals. This is true not only for financial aids, but for all students appeals in any regard.</p>

5

<p>All things considering, NYU gave me a considerable amount: 20k in scholarship and my EFC is triple yours. After factoring in the scholarship, subsidized student loans (the unsubsidized ones are crap), federal work study and my New York state TAP grant, my parents only have to pay 15k a semester, which is pretty good.</p>

6

<p>If you are thinking of not applying just because of their reputation with financial aid, I highly advise against that. True they have been stingy in the past, but they have a numerous amount of scholarships that may surprise you.
I applied to Stern on a whim, knowing that I would not be able to go because I couldn’t afford it, and I was surprised to see that I had received the John Paulson Scholarship, which was almost 40,000 a semester! If you have any interest in a school, I do hope you apply to it and not let financial status be a deterrent because scholarships do turn up sometimes!</p>

7

<p>NYU definitely gives terrible aid. My EFC was supposed to be about $10,000 per year but they expected me to pay about $30,000. It broke my heart because I love NYU, but you should know they definitely are stingy on the aid.</p>

8

<p>I really want to study art history, and NYU attracted me because of the proximity to art museums, and they are well known for art history. Do you think my stats would get me any scholarships?</p>

9

<p>Don’t not apply b/c of FA b/c you never know what may happen. In my experience schools can surprise you; I had schools give me full rides and schools that were similar gave me nothing. I don’t think you would get a large scholarship, but if you love NYU it’s worth a shot b/c it could happen.</p>

10

<p>Well, the issue is that I am already applying to 6 other colleges, and I don’t know if I can afford another one. I would have to take a college off my list to apply to NYU.</p>

11

<p>May I ask where else you are applying? Think in terms of safeties, matches, and reaches. Maybe something can be dropped (if you really love NYU that is)</p>

12

<p>My safety is UT Austin (I’m guaranteed admission)
The other schools I’m applying to are probably more reaches than matches, but I’m applying for art history so I think that will set me apart. Hopefully being Diabetic will too. They are: UChicago, WUSTL, Williams, Vassar, and Brown. I think I might apply to NYU instead of Vassar. Then again, I might remove Williams because it is isolated. I need to go to a school that is near good medical care. It could be hard to get my medicine and supplies in Williamstown, MA. Also, it will be easier for me to get into NYU rather than Williams or Vassar. Williams does meet 100% demonstrated need though.</p>

13

<p>Well all those schools are very different from NYU. NYU is very urban and doesn’t have a traditional campus. Have you visited? From what I’m heard people either love NYU or are turned off by the fact that the school is one with the city.</p>

14

<p>I like that NYU is so integrated with the city. I know its different than the other colleges, but I think its good to have a college like that on my list in case I decide I don’t want a smaller college. If I go there, I want to be able to experience all that the city offers, and I would not be able to do that if NYU is on a secluded campus.
I think I might be able to fit NYU into my list by having my mom pay for 3 colleges, and my dad 4. But, just in case, what college should I eliminate?</p>

15

<p>erin94, Well, in terms of medical care, NYC is at the top because you can find specialists and major hospitals all around you. Did you check into Williams? Where is the nearest hospital? What about other schools like Vassar located in Poughkeepsie, NY? Have you researched medical care there? By the way, Vassar seems to have a very strong arts dept. Though it appears a number of your schools are strong in this regard.</p>

<p>If you need FA, then NYU may be the “hardest reach” (financially) since NYU does not guarantee to meet all financial need. And, as NYU2013 put it so well, you have to be very attractive to NYU to get a merit award or scholarship. Now your weighted GPA appears to be the strongest part of your application (stats-wise), but it only places you in the top 10% of your class and not higher up? That means that even the GPA may not be a strong enough statistic to get you a scholarship. Certainly, the 2060 is not the highest for scholarships, UNLESS there are other stronger parts of your application. Your AP scores are rather low for scholarship purposes, if you use these scores.</p>

<p>By the way, being diabetic is not a hook, though it means the schools cannot discriminate against you in considering your application. However, you can highlight how this condition has not deterred you from achieving in school and you may be able to capitalize on this in your essay. Are you Hispanic? If you are, that would be the strongest hook for you in college applications.</p>

<p>While NYU may appeal to you because you like how it is different from the other schools you are applying to, the reality is that with your financial need and NYU’s poor FA policy (unless you are in the top 3-5% of so of candidates), the financial situation may be the worst of all the schools for you. So, certainly apply if you can afford the app fees. Maybe you can qualify for a waiver on fees based on your family income? I am not sure about this; you would have to check it out.</p>

<p>If it really is too tight financially for you and your family to apply to too many colleges and you cannot get fee waivers, then NYU may even be dropped farther down in your list of colleges to apply to. This depends on the result of research you do to determine if other colleges are more generous with their FA than NYU.</p>

16

<p>I would drop either Brown of WashU. Brown because it’s the highest reach and although you have good stats, I don’t see Brown panning out (it doesn’t for 92% of applicants). If you want Brown I would drop WashU just because NYU’s art programs are better respected. I wouldn’t drop Williams b/c they meet 100% of need. But all those are great schools so I would study and take the SAT again to make yourself a stronger applicant and more eligible for scholarship money.</p>