<p>I am planning on applying ED to Hopkins; I visited the campus last summer and it instantly became my first choice.</p>
<p>However, financial aid is a very critical factor for my family, since we make <60K/year.
How generous is JHU with respect to need-based financial aid?</p>
<p>I do understand that if financial aid is a critical factor, then no one should be applying ED to any school. But I have estimated my financial aid using their online calculator, and my expected EFC is very low. </p>
<p>So, I'm also wondering if anyone has personal examples as to how financial aid worked out for them after applying early decision, and of how accurate the financial aid estimator really is.</p>
<p>For most students, the Financial Aid packages are definitely good. If JHU is your first choice, apply ED and see how the FA works. I think the estimator is pretty good, it wouldn’t be on their website if it wasn’t. </p>
<p>If you can’t make it work, just ask the Admissions Dean to release you and they will because of the FA.</p>
<p>I applied ED last year and financial aid was crucial for my situation as well. My guidance counselor made the argument that since youre attendance is binding, the school can skimp on the aid a bit. But the flip side is that the school still has to make it feasible for you to attend through grant money, work-study, etc., without outrageous loans. Because like WealthofInfo said, if youre put in a position that you simply cannot make work, than you just can get a release.</p>
<p>I received a fairly large grant, and I am making up the the remaining balance through work-study and reasonable loans. All in all my family was very content with the financial aid package. It was better than we had anticipated.</p>