Is OOS financial aid as bad as some say for the middle class. I would really like to attend Michigan but I am anxious to know if others have received fair aid as an OOS student.
I apologize if this is an I’ll informed question.
It’s getting better. But it still won’t meet full need.
What is your definition of middle class?
@brantly I’m not exactly sure. I’d say somewhere around $80K-$100K but with the relative cost of Michigan OOS, I’m not sure how that would turn out.
Try the NPC and you will see. For very low income students, the aids are still good even from OOS.
@billcsho Did the NPC and it estimated that I would receive $0 in Estimated Total Grant/Gift Aid. That’s promising. Hopefully the estimations are incorrect or outdated.
It you don’t have a complicated situation like home business or divorced parents, the NPC estimation is pretty accurate. Note that UMich is a public university that has no obligation to help OOS students. Being from middle class just makes it worse. It is not that UMich’s financial aid for OOS being particularly bad. It is the case for vast majority of public universities. Nevertheless, UMich gives more generous aids to low income students even from OOS. First, check your EFC in FAFSA. You should not expect OOS to meet your need. If your EFC is over $65K, you would not get any need based aid anywhere.
@billcsho Yeah that makes sense. Thanks for the info.
Thank you for this great info. I was going to ask this exact question. Wondering if it’s worth it for OOS without any aid.
@NewYorker44 I’m really considering Michigan OOS despite its cost. It’s just such a great school. I feel like the opportunities and experiences one could get from Michigan might just be worth it. It’s a tough decision.
If you are OOS you should give it a shot. Apply for aid as early as possible. Michigan requires Fafsa and CSS. The OOS aid is getting better and better every year.
@brantly Obviously it would be foolish to accept banking on future improvements in financial aid, but would enrolled students be able to take advantage of improvements over the next few years as well? Or would we be stuck with our first-year package while the new money goes to recruitment?
Nobody will force you to go out of state, you do it at your own will. If you make the choice to go out of state, it is fair to assume that you are willing and able to pay that level of tuition. You have the option of staying in state if you are unwilling or unable to do so. As mentioned, public institutions do not have any obligation to provide aid to out of state students, so don’t expect any sympathy for not receiving any scholarships or grants. If they give you any aid, it will probably be a loan, which obviously must be repaid.
I don’t know. That’s a good question, though. My guess—and this is purely a guess based on what I have learned through the FA process—is that OOS upperclassmen would be treated with the same rules as incoming freshmen.
Unless you have a complicated situation, I don’t see why would anyone ask the question here instead of checking the NPC. I also don’t see why one would expect a different need based aid policy for freshmen vs upperclassmen other than the different CoA. According to the FA office, one should expect similar need based aid year to year if there is no major change in household income or asset. For merit scholarships, the best are offered to freshmen and are renewable for 4 years. The amounts of these scholarships are usually much bigger for OOS. For major specific scholarships offered to sophomore and up, they have a need component but they do not differentiate between in-state or OOS.
i can only speak of last year, but my OOS financial aid offer was excellent. They met my full need with no PLUS loans.
@excanuck99 what would you say your income was around (if you don’t mind)?
It does not matter what other people got. Check NPC with your data. UMich’s financial aid can be generous even for OOS students although most OOS students do not received much if any.
Do they do preferential packaging?
billcsho - How can you make that statement? On what basis? UM DOES give financial aid to OOS student, and very good aid at that. It is based on demonstrated need, so you might not get it if they don’t deem you needy. However, it is absolutely untrue to say that “most” OOS receive little aid.
My family’s income was around $80k. We have 1 in college and 1 in high school.