<p>For a low income student would Fordham be the better option? I would like to go to school in NYC but I'm not sure if either of the school's give good financial aid. I've heard that NYU has really bad aid, would that be different for a student with high need? Should I expect good aid from either of these schools at all?</p>
<p>??</p>
<p>Financial awards, whether from federal or institutional sources depend on many factors. </p>
<p>According to the NCEU (National Center for Educational Statistics) ‘College Navigator’ (nceu.edu.gov), 90% of Fordham students received aid in 2011-12, whereas only 61% at NYU received aid. Both schools’ average aid, for those students who do receive aid, is about the same - $21,000. </p>
<p>The only way to know for sure is to apply to both and compare the offers. </p>
<p>Fordham will give more, most likely.</p>
<p>NYU is notorious for no or low aid. However, if you have great, and I mean GREAT scores and high need, NYU may come through. Scores should be no lower than 2200 and GPA 4.0+ to get merit money. If you have no demonstrated need, you probably won’t get money from NYU. Fordham will reward you handsomely with those scores, so consider it.</p>
<p>You should use their cost of attendance calculators. Both Fordham and NYU have it on the their websites. I believe Fordham gives only a little bit more, if not the same amount of need-based aid.
Merit aid is another story…</p>
<p>I don’t think I’d receive much merit aid seeing as I have pretty average grades, so it’s likely that I could get the same amount of aid from both schools?</p>
<p>Fordham will still give more need based aid. It’s simple. Why would NYU give you good aid when they can get many applicants who are willing to pay almost full price? NYU is STILL the most sought after college. Fordham has good aid, merit and need based.</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted at both schools and received a very generous merit award from Fordham but nothing from NYU - which was expected since NYU is known as an expensive school which doesn’t award merit aid. </p>
<p>For a low-income student though I would still caution you to consider that NY is an expensive place to live and even with generous aid from Fordham you may find you are limited with your social and recreational activities. </p>
<p>Why do you want to go to school in NY? Are you sure what you’re looking for can’t be found in some other more affordable location? </p>
<p>“For a low-income student though I would still caution you to consider that NY is an expensive place to live and even with generous aid from Fordham you may find you are limited with your social and recreational activities.”</p>
<p>I have to agree with this. My freshman year my parents had some good money coming in, so I was given $100/week in allowance. It seemed a lot to me (never had a job before and used to way less allowance), but if you are the type of person who likes to go out to eat with friends or do stuff, it is not a lot. Add subway costs, occasional taxi costs, and stuff you might need to buy, and you will be out of money soon. I managed well though, because I personally don’t go out a lot to eat (seems to be the #1 way to run out of money here), and go to a lot of free/cheap events.</p>
<p>Now, this at LC. I am assuming RH has enough things going inside of it for free to keep you entertained.</p>
<p>You will get more aid at Fordham than NYU. No amount of repeating the question will change that.</p>
<p>NYC can be very expensive, but it’s possible to enjoy living there without lots of discretionary funds. There are lots of free things to do at RH and in NYC. </p>
<p>At Rose Hill, our son has spent about $50-$75 a month. We had planned more than that. He could spend more, but doesn’t have time. Subway fares and pizza nights, clothes and sundries are most of the expenses he has. He has friends who have much less to spend. Having the unlimited food plan helps keep costs low. Free laundry, too. The first month always is the most expensive, as he sets up for the year. That amount doesn’t include expenses to fly home or textbooks.</p>
<p>I agree that NYC can be expensive, but have no experience of how much is needed per month. My daughter also got accepted into NYU Stern and the merit money was considerably less. She did not get any need based aid from either school, except a federal loan (unsubsidized).
There are other schools in NYC and its environs that are cheaper, perhaps you need to stay away from the top three (Columbia, NYU and Fordham). Well, let me correct myself on Columbia: IF you get in and have need, they will cover it. However, at less than 10% acceptance rate, it is tough. Frankly, both NYU and Fordham have high average GPAs, so broaden your search and get studying! </p>
<p>What is needed per month really depends on a student’s preferences and location. I agree that $75 a month is fine at RH, because a lot of stuff there is free and the area around is has a lot of cheap stores and restaurants.</p>
<p>At LC, it’s different. It’s harder on a tight budget, but doable. There is not that much stuff on campus, campus food is more expensive, a quick run to the nearby Bed Bath and Beyond can cost $20-40 depending on what you need, and the places to eat that aren’t fast food can drain $20-30 from your wallet every time you go out.</p>
<p>I have some tips on saving money at LC in case anyone wants to know:</p>
<ul>
<li>Buy stuff from Amazon. I always forget Amazon is not just for books or electronics. Cleaning supplies, stationary, etc are much cheaper there. If you invest in a Amazon Prime account (cheaper for students), stuff will come in 2 days.</li>
<li>Don’t go to Whole Foods. It’s a nice store, but why go there when Western Beef is insanely cheaper? Yeah, not as “nice”, but who cares. Of course, if there is something Whole Food sells that you love, get it. Trader Joes is a good compromise between quality and price. However, it’s a little bit farther than both stores, and can have long lines if you go on weekends.</li>
<li>Look for cheaper stores in general. This is kind of how I discovered Western Beef. I just googled and looked around. There is a huge $1 store in Herald Square. MUJI near Times Square has cheap and awesome stationary (favorite non-clothing store so far).</li>
<li>Stop buying coffee everyday. Either get cheap ground coffee and a machine, or get some beans, a grinder, and anything else (machine, french press, chemex) and drink coffee that will taste better than anything you can get at Fordham or Starbucks. Even a “standard” Tonx subscription (service that mails you fresh beans) is less money than what some people spend in Starbucks every month.</li>
</ul>
<p>This all depends on your preferences. I don’t mind spending less on basic food like bread, pasta, milk etc because I prefer to spend my money in other things, so my tips work well for me.</p>