<p>This may be a long shot... but is there anyway to appeal so as to increase their offer. My parents make 340k but here's the thing, their disposable income is disproportionate to their income. Both of my parents are recent grads(as in they finished dental school less than 6 years ago) and both have yet to pay off their own school loans. They are also self-employed running and financing multiple practices. My older brother is enrolled at Duke with plans to continue on the law school and my parents pay full tuition with a loan they took out in their name. My youngest brother goes to boarding school. They are also paying a mortgage on our house and in significant credit card debt with little savings. </p>
<p>Princeton has made me a nice offer but the most generous came from Santa Clara University( about 30k a year). I don't want to risk bankrupting my family by adding more debt from undergraduate and graduate student loans. Do our circumstances warrant a reevaluation of our financial aid package?</p>
<p>I’m surprised you got anything in the 1st place from princeton. How much anyway? That Santa Clara 30K merit scholarship or financial aid? boarding school/mortgage/cc debt aren’t considered for anyone else not sure why you expect them to be considered. Heck even student loans (of the parent) aren’t considered. Usually schools only look at income, don’t care what debts you have to service.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that Santa Clara University accepted you with distinction and you got a large merit award from them. </p>
<p>Your family income is extremely high. Debt is not considered in the financial aid equation (one reason folks should be VERY careful about their own college debt!). Your parents’ mortgage really won’t matter (everyone has housing expenses), and consumer debt like a credit card debt or loans are considered personal choices. </p>
<p>What would be your basis for asking for reconsideration of your aid? If it’s the merit offer given to you by SCU, it probably won’t fly as Princeton doesn’t give merit awards.</p>
<p>You need to have a basis for asking for reconsideration. This usually means that your financial aid applications do not reflect your parents’ finances accurately or that you’ve had a recent financial setback (high medical expenses, some crisis situation…house burning down with no insurance, or death of a parent who was providing support…things like that). If you are appealing based on your parents’ monthly bills, it’s not likely to change anything…but go ahead and try.</p>
<p>Does your brother get need based aid at Duke? </p>
<p>To be honest, I’m surprised that you got any need based aid from Princeton…given what you posted here.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should even bother appealing…your parents have a very high income - in the top 5% of American earners, if not higher than that - and all of those things are personal choices that every other American family has to deal with, just usually with less money. Many people’s parents have student loan debt, most people pay for law school on their own (so universities will not be sympathetic to the fact that your parents want to pay for your brother’s law school education), everyone has housing expenses…see where I’m going? None of these are undue hardships that came unexpectedly like a death in the family, a sickness, loss of work, etc.</p>
<p>Thanks for the insight, I definitely see where you guys are coming from. I guess I never really understood the financial aid process and thought it was worth a shot :/</p>
<p>Thanks again for the help!</p>
<p>Voguefashion…Santa Clara University is a GREAT school. DD graduated from there last year. It’s really a school that flies under the radar screen…but has so much to offer its students.</p>