Great ending. But clearly, the financials you presented here are not the ones NU considered…for those last two years.
No one, whether posting or lurking, should assume an income of 240k is up for substantial fin aid. it exceeds even Harvard’s threshold. Agree, questions remain.
I agree with LF. Glad this seems to be working out for Calicash…if indeed it does.
But everyone should remember…families apply for need based aid annually. The aid for each year is based on the income from the previous year, and assets present. And the number of students in college at the same time for the year.
I find it very hard to believe that Northwestern guaranteed that this family would not be full pay when the sister graduates from college IF the family income remains in the >$220,000 range…with only one kiddo in college. Sorry, I don’t believe it.
In fact, the very most schools say about need based aid is that if the situation remains the same…the need based aid won’t likely change. BUT…in this student’s case, a sibling will no longer be in college, and that is a huge change in the financial aid picture.
While this might be working out for this poster…others should not automatically assume that they will get significant need based aid with incomes exceeding $200,000, and one kiddo in college.
That family contribution would likely exceed $50,000 a year.
@thumper1. I agree with you. There are pieces of this story that are missing.
@Thumper1 You can find it hard to believe. That’s fine. I’m pretty sure I’m better off trusting the people who work in the financial aid office 
There is no missing information and no questions remain. I’ve made my decision with the support and backing of my parents, and I’m happy with it.
Obviously, I’m not going to give every single detail about my financial situation on an anonymous forum. Thankfully, most of CC was wrong in this case.
I’m ready and excited to move forward
Do keep us updated CaliCash, about your orientation and first year if you can
The next 4 months are going to keep you on pins and needles!
Wow, this has been quite an ordeal Cali, congratulations that you have made a workable decision. Best of luck to you.
Could Cali have gotten preferential finaid packaging because she’s a URM? With these stats (http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/18286581/#Comment_18286581 ), she is in the bottom 25% of applicants in regards to standardized testing. NU does seem as if they want more African-Americans (lowest percentage of any minority), so maybe that played into it?
Regardless, I also agree that something doesn’t add up here. It doesn’t seem right that a family with $200,000+ income should get that kind of supposed need-based aid.
The process at NU should be fair. The FA sounds like the income is much less. When you pursue the old Harvard stories of families at 180 getting good aid, there’d be something like 6 kids, 3 or 4 in college. I tend to think a long time adult poster can reveal the family income more reliably than a kid. One point in this thread was that her parents didn’t talk much about finances.
Maybe Cali’s situation is different from what has been stated but for anonymity purposes can’t be mentioned here. Also, I don’t think Calicash is African American.
@CTTC No knock on Cali at all, but I’ve always been surprised she got into Northwestern with those stats. I figured that she must have other things going on that she hasn’t mentioned.
I hope the OP’s parents don’t change their mind about how much they are willing to pay next year.
People read these threads for advice. If the information posted is not accurate, it is misleading.
Not helpful at all to others.
@thumper1 Goodness, you were all behind Cali when she was in a tight spot. Now that things are working out, you’re calling her a liar? I have never seen such fickle people. And suggesting that she shouldn’t have been admitted in the first place unless there was something “more” is lame, @Consolation.
Albert, some of us have been around long enough to know when things line up. We usually hope for the best for any candidate. And then, as a thread (or its info) evolves, we can see different angles. That’s how conversations generally are.
@albert69, there is nothing “lame” about suggesting that a student has other accomplishments beyond grades and scores. And I didn’t say anything about “should” or “shouldn’t” be admitted. I referred only to the likelihood of a person with her stats being accepted. As has been pointed out, they put her in the bottom 25%. Students are not admitted on the basis of stats alone.
Parents here tend to be supportive of kids who are trying to get into college and pay for it. That doesn’t mean that we think that they have necessarily told the whole story or that all of the details are factually correct. As has been said, other people look at these threads for advice. When there is a result that looks highly unlikely based on the info given, yes, people are going to speculate about what is and is not true.
Personally, I don’t want the next kid with stats in the bottom 25% and no hooks whose father makes $240K per year with one sib in college to think that A) Northwestern is likely to accept them, and B) Northwestern is likely to give them $38K per year in FA.
Nevertheless, I am happy for CaliCash that she is apparently going to a school she wans to attend and that her family can afford it and will pay for it.
I told this poster to ask. But I never agreed she would get more aid from NU.
And the story has holes.
Also, I said nothing about admissions as it relates to aid
This thread was started by @CaliCash specifically to get advice and support regarding her situation and decision making process. I don’t think it’s fair to tear her back down after the fact in the service of hypothetical future readers. They can start their own threads about their own choices and dilemmas.
And RE hard metrics, she may also have submitted a drop dead portfolio of her work and have other experience in her field of choice that aren’t reflected here. She may be a bit of an outlier in some regards but as a few have said, we don’t actually have all the facts about her finances or application package nor would I expect to for confidentiality reasons.
But . . . if those future readers do want a take home lesson it is that it doesn’t hurt to ask for more and ask again for clarification. They might say no, but they also might make adjustments. Let it also be noted that Cali had 2 viable SUNY options and a third school that was a middle ground. This is not about a kid with only one crazy dream.