Question about student contribution.

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

<p>So my student contribution is about $2500. My parents make under 60,000 so the parent contribution is $0. If my parents find it feasible, can they just pay some of the student contribution or do I need to furnish evidence that I worked? If not, can I use some money from savings?
What if I don't end up getting the money for the student contribution? Would cornell give me a loan?</p>

<p>EDIT: Sorry, one more thing. I heard varying reports, but does anyone know for sure whether outside scholarships reduce the student contribution?</p>

2

<p>I’m not 100% sure, but I don’t believe they care where the student contribution comes from, as long as they get the money.
EDIT: btw, i wrote that before the edit about scholarships.</p>

3

<p>Any outside scholarship money you receive is first applied toward your self-help component (loans and work study). If your scholarship exceeds that, then your Cornell grant will be reduced accordingly. </p>

<p>I don’t believe that you can use outside scholarship money to reduce your parent or student contribution. In addition, you can ask for a loan to cover your student contribution if you are unable to earn that money.</p>

4

<p>Your student contribution might not be that much. Remember, when Cornell calculates financial aid, they base it on a double room, 14 meals/wk, x amount for books, travel, and supplies. I used to order books online or not buy them at all (use the libraries) and my travel costs were cheap (4 hour drive), and I reduced my meal plan to 10 meals/wk after the first semester, so you might not have to pay $2500 in the end.</p>

5

<p>Good point, Cornelli. I never had to pay my student contribution because I cut back on my meal plan when I lived off campus and when I lived off campus, my costs for the year were much less.</p>

6

<p>is the student contribution 100% for personal expenses such as the meals, books, travel that you mentioned</p>

<p>so this money never goes directly to cornell (except meal plan, dorm) and the students themselves get to decide what to do with the money?</p>

7

<p>Not necessarily, I don’t know the current breakdown in numbers, but it should say on your financial aid package how much they account for books, travel, and personal expenses. The estimated cost of attendance includes all of this, but it varies from person to person how much he/she needs for books and travel and personal items. You would obviously want to apply your grant to charges on your bursar bill that are already known and constant. Let’s say Cornell gives you a 35,000 grant, and tuition, fees, room, and board cost 34,000. Cornell also gave you a 1000 loan, 1000 in work study, and 1000 in a summer savings contribution (3000 in student contribution), for a total financial aid package of 37,000. They did this because financial aid also takes into account expenses for travel, books, and personal expenses. You could technically apply 33,000 of the grant to your tuition, fees, room and board and use the 1000 loan and the 1000 summer savings cash to pay the rest, then pocket the extra 1000 grant aid to use for books and stuff, but that wouldn’t really make sense to do. Logically, and Cornell will do this automatically, you will apply the 34,000 grant to your tuition, fees, room and board, either use the loan or summer savings expectation to pay off the remainder of the bursar bill, OR you could downgrade your meal plan, and live in a triple to reduce your room and board and not have to take out the loan or work at all during the summer. Realistically though, you are going to need some cash to pay for books, going out to eat, and traveling home for breaks. This cash will come from your student contribution, which as long as you are able to pay off your bursar bill (tuition, room, board and fees) you can get any way that you want (working summers, working during the school year, from family, gambling…etc.) Take a look at how much tuition, room, board and mandatory fees are (not including the books and travel etc) and compare that to the amount of grant aid you received. You will have to make up any difference, otherwise, you just need to find some cash or take out a loan just for books and travel and toothpaste and collegetown pizza and things like that, but you should be able to make enough working on campus for that. Sorry, it’s hard to explain… i can help you more if you give me exact numbers…</p>