<p>My son was accepted to Brown ED. When he applied we didn't request financial aid. My salary was high enough to put us beyond the financial aid reach, and he's our only child. My company just announced the closing of its American division. My job is very unique and getting a new one may take a year or more. My salary will likely be much lower. </p>
<p>Can we apply for financial aid after my son's acceptance? If Brown is need blind, does it matter when aid is requested? Has anyone been through this?</p>
<p>You really need to contact the FA office at Brown and ask them about this. And do it immediately. You’re in a funny zone between “change of circumstances” (could work out) and “missing the FA application deadline” (very well might not work out.) </p>
<p>Also aid is generally based on the previous year’s income anyway. You’d need a special circumstances adjustment, I guess… if they’ll do that in your case.</p>
<p>You really need to get this info from them directly. All you’ll get here is speculation. Good luck to you! At least you’re dealing with a school that has the resources to provide decent financial aid in the first place.</p>
<p>I wonder if it would acceptable to ask Brown if it would be OK to apply to some other schools in the meantime “just in case” Brown can’t/won’t be able to help you financially.</p>
<p>It seems like you’re in an odd state. You know that your job will be eliminated in the future (do you know an exact date), but you’re still employed now. (Right?) </p>
<p>Will you likely get a big severance? If so, that will affect your 2010 earnings.</p>
<p>Thank you for the responses. Our division closes at the end of the first quarter, and I will receive a severance – about six months salary. I guess that’s the rub. Our FAFSA will remain high until our son enters Brown in September. After that, things could get ugly. It sounds from the responses that schools don’t give aid mid-stream – like during a student’s sophomore year. I hesitate to contact Brown now, since I really don’t know what will happen after we’re laid off. I guess we’ll just have to keep our fingers crossed. Thanks again.</p>
<p>Your son was already accepted - do you fear they would recind the acceptance if you contact them now? That would be particularly bad form on their part.
I think it would be entirely appropriate for you to contact them now as this will possibly affect three years of his schooling.</p>
<p>They would certainly not recind his acceptance. The question is whether they would accept a financial aid application from him at this point.</p>
<p>They will not usually adjust your aid based on something that is going to happen in the future, but if you have an aid award and then there is a big change of circumstances, some schools will make an adjustment based on that change. However, they’ll make it when/after the change actually occurs, not beforehand.</p>
<p>I think the issue is (and I would certainly call and ask them about this) should you submit and aid application now (assuming they’d accept after the deadline for ED apps) so that late next year when your circumstances change you could then inquire about a special circumstances adjustment?</p>
<p>Or if you have not filed for aid at all for 2010-11, could you initiate an application later next year due to your change in circumstances.</p>
<p>If you need to have an aid application on file for the academic year (even if, at the time, you made to much too actually get any aid) in order to request a change of circumstances adjustment… well, then you’ll want to see if there’s any way they’d accept an aid application at this point.</p>
<p>I’d also confirm if you don’t submit an aid application as an incoming freshman, can you submit one in subsequent years if your financial situation changes such that you might need aid later on?</p>
based on what I read here, I think he has nothing at all to lose by calling now.
Probably won’t receive aid for next year, but it certainly looks good after that depending on the financial situation.</p>