<p>My daughter has auditioned and been accepted to the Wanda Bass School at Oklahoma City University. We began the process enthusiastically last spring when we visited the school and received information on incoming freshman scholarship opportunities. At that time my daughter qualified for $7k per year renewable for 8 semester. By the time it was time to audition this year it was down to $3K. We still were feeling encouraged because during our visit to the school in November for audition the students we met encouraged us that the school provided very generous non-need based scholarships and that they received enough to cover their tuition. Well the audition is finished and the admission academic scholarships have been assigned and so far we only have received $9k in scholarships for each year. This leaves a shortfall of about $23K. We have yet to complete the FAFSA and the schools financial aid process(however, we will not qualify for needs based aid). My daughter is very committed to going to OCU, and my husband and I think that the fit would be perfect for her however, we just are stressing out about how to pay for it. Our daughter is committed to music education and had a fantastic interview with Professor Willoughby. My questions are to those of you who have experience with OCU:</p>
<ol>
<li>Should we or my daughters Honors program Counselor contact the school? Would it be of the most benefit to contact financial aid or contact Professor Willoughby directly to see if she could fight for her?</li>
<li>Can we expect any further aid through the financial aid process? Are there other scholarships offered at OCU that she may be given the option of applying for?</li>
<li>Does OCU consider reallocation scholarship money in May if some is still left on the table?</li>
<li>Is this a generous offer? Maybe we do not have a very good perspective on what generous is and what reasonable expectations for parents to be able to pay for college. </li>
</ol>
<p>I would appreciate any advice that anyone might be able to offer. If you have any suggestions for how to contact persons who might have more experience with OCU let me know.</p>
<p>My son attends OCU and my experience would say to call down to the financial aid office and ask them. They are very kind and helpful and will not mind answering your questions and advising you what you can do. Good Luck!</p>
<p>You should fill out the FAFSA asap and get it in by their deadline. If nothing else she is eligible for at least an unsubsidized or subsidized Stafford loan in her name. It is based on year, and starts at about $5500 for a freshman, and increases incrementally each year to a max aggregate of about $28 k. The folks on CC’s financial aid forum can cite the actual figures or point you to some links.</p>
<p>Many colleges, particularly publics, have cut spending during this recession, and have scaled back programs and awards. I’m not sure if OCU is a public or private without checking. I think it’s a public, but I recall a Methodist affiliation, so it may be private.</p>
<p>It does not hurt for you or d to aeak directly with financial aid, or the faculty member you name. I would not have her counselor become involved in negotiating aid, as you and d will be footing the bill here. Some prior threads on scholarships:</p>
<p>Some basic questions that might help others:</p>
<p>What is the cost of attendance?
Are you in state or out of state?
Is she conceivably eligible for any non-talent academic/merit awards?</p>
<p>How much you can afford to pay out of pocket, take out loans as parents, and have d take in the form of Staffords in her own name is a family decision, but the common wisdom is not to have a student (or parent) overburdened with debt. Many cite the Stafford max or thereabouts as the upper limit a student should personally assume. Particularly true in the music and ed areas, where grad school is a high probability for additional training and in the case of music ed degree holders necessary for and/or continued licensure, professional advancement.</p>
<p>Thanks for the info. OCU is a private, Methodist affiliated university. They do not have in or out of state tuition issues. If looking at a private university what should one expect to be reasonable to have to pay out of pocket, including loans, because these are actual out of pocket expenses in the long term?</p>
<p>The range of annual cost of attendance for private colleges is staggering, with some still under $20,000 per year and some over $50,000 per year. The amount that is reasonable to pay depends on your own circumstances, but the Expected Family Contribution number that comes out of the FAFSA is nearly always higher than people expect it to be. That said, it is almost always worthwhile filling out the FAFSA for first year students, even if you do not expect to get anything. For one thing, you will not get if you do not ask. Some schools set their tuition high and expect to offer a discount in the form of a small to medium scholarship to most of their students. Mostly, the families who do not get this discount are the ones who do not bother filling out the financial forms because they are so sure they will get nothing. </p>
<p>For another thing, sometimes your circumstances change while the child is still in school. Perhaps a second child will start college while the first one is still in, perhaps a parent will lose a job or have some major losses in a stock portfolio. Any of these things or several more can cause a large change in the amount of aid a school might offer in subsequent years. It is often a lot simpler to show need in later years if you have established a baseline for the first year by filing the FAFSA and, if required by the school, the Profile.</p>
<p>There really is no way of assessing what “is reasonable”, as it is contingent upon a family or individual’s resources. Some folks are willing to pay full ticket to schools in excess of $50k COA, while they may be eligible for a hefty package (up to a full ride) at another private or their own state school. Other folks are hard pressed to swing the cost of a state college (or even part time community college) without having to work while attending.</p>
<p>Most schools will give you ranges or averages and percentages of students who receive aid, and what the"average package" is. OCU’s is here: [Oklahoma</a> City University : Tuition and Fees](<a href=“http://www.okcu.edu/financialaid/]Oklahoma”>Oklahoma City University | Types of Assistance), and there may be more detail within their financial aid and scholarship pages. I see that it is also rated as a “best buy” school, so you’re probably going to get the maximum “bang for your buck”. </p>
<p>For some, even the highest award may not be “reasonable”. </p>
<p>welovemg, is this your first time sending a student to college? You may want to note that the complete financial aid/scholarship package may not come all at once. The operative document is the “awards notification” letter or now most likely an email that lists all the scholarships, grants, awards and federally administered loans (Perkins in some cases, Stafford, Parents Plus) that the student is eligible for. In some programs, a talent award MAY be listed in the congrats letter for the music school separately from the academic congrats letter, but this is a function of the specific school. Additionally, the final awards letter tends to arrive AFTER the “congrats you’ve been accepted” letter, and normally AFTER all FASFA and other financial required paperwork is submitted and reviewed.</p>
<p>The OCU financial/scholarship pages list some stats/grades scholarships and since you mentioned she was in an Honors program, she may well be eligible for in addition to a talent audition based award as OCU states that the two types can be combined.</p>
<p>Please be sure that you are not misunderstanding the award if you are looking at an offer, as it may not be complete. Perhaps some of the folks experienced with OCU through acceptance or matriculation can help you out. If in doubt, call and speak to the financial aid office for clarification. </p>
<p>Violadad, thank you for your reply. This is our first and only student. We have received the two offers that I noted but have yet to go through the process. From reading and listening to others we may have had unreasonable expectations to begin with. Just hoping to get a bit more, but like you said, maybe more is to follow.</p>
<p>welovemg, one way to look at it is if you have scholarships of $9k, and a tuition rate of $11.2k, that’s in excess of a 3/4 tuition scholarship. Full tuition (not full rides) scholarships are about the best even an exceptional student can hope to get. It doesn’t necessarily make the pain of paying less.</p>
<p>It’s all in relation on much you can realistically afford to pay and finance.</p>