<p>I just got accepted into Phillips Andover as a new lower for boarding year 2013-2014. My family requested financial aid, because we are middle class, I have a younger sibling, and we both need to go to college. However, when I was accepted, I didn't receive any financial aid. </p>
<p>We called in to make sure the form and numbers were entered correctly, and it was confirmed that they were. If we called in to Andover's Admissions office, would there be any chance of receiving financial aid? The only real way my family could finance boarding school would be to sell a rental house and use some of our savings intended for college. Is this what is required to pay for boarding school? Just wondering if everyone has to do this, or if we will be able to receive at least some aid.</p>
<p>Yes - this is how it works. Sorry. And you’re not alone. Some families around the country are getting acceptance notices with no FA offered. There are also threads where other families have been quite honest about having to forgo retirement savings and sell investments to pay for boarding school.</p>
<p>Here’s the operative word - you have a younger sibling who needs to go to college. That means that sibling won’t enter college until after you do and doesn’t need the money now. So the PFS doesn’t calculate future college need. Only assets you have available right now. </p>
<p>Boarding schools are financed by tuition and alumni donations. Even full pay students don’t pay the full cost - it’s heavily subsidized by the endowment, and parent fundraising behind the scenes.</p>
<p>So when you post that you have a rental house (can your parents refinance it?), or that you have enough savings for college that you might have to use ** some ** of it for BS, it means you have more than enough assets that can be used for tuition and the family has to change its priorities. </p>
<p>There just isn’t enough scholarship money to go to every family and those who do pay tuition (full or partial) do it at great sacrifice - and because we think it’s worth the investment in your children.</p>
<p>Yes - your parents should call an inquire, but even if they grant you some funding, don’t expect much. Andover accepts more students than they can enroll and based on my conversations with them several years ago, anticipates some families will decline or drop out due to finances. A lot of families who got scholarships don’t have large college funds or rental homes to tap.</p>
<p>Does that make sense? You should call, but the odds aren’t good you’ll get a favorable response.</p>
<p>Check on the Andover web site and see if there is a process for appealing financial aid. At my kids’ school it starts with a call to the admissions office.</p>
<p>Thanks to both you for replying! My parents sent in an appeal to the office, since we were told we were on the border between full pay and financial aid. Hopefully the results are positive. :)</p>