<p>Which of the following schools are most likely to offer the best financial aid/money etc?</p>
<p>Northeastern
Boston U
NYU
JHU
Boston College
Vassar
Sarah Lawrence
Tufts
Carnegie Mellon
Emory
Univ of Virginia
Georgetown
Brandeis
Emerson
UConn
Rutgers
Stevens Institute of Tech
NJ Institute of Tech
Drew Univ.</p>
<p>Wouldn’t you expect that this would vary with each application? It is hard to imagine that they would all award scholarships/fellowships based on the same criteria. You might find that your best financial aid deal would come from a school that sees fewer outstanding applicants. With the list that you included, it is hard to imagine that they aren’t getting applications from very well qualified students.</p>
<p>Understandable, but doesn’t offer much help.</p>
<p>Each school sets its own policies, and those policies change from one year to the next. In other words, while some have reputations for being better than others, only the admissions and financial aid committees at each of these schools would be able to tell you whether Candidate A is going to receive a “better” package than Candidate B. And only Candidate A and Candidate B can tell you whether they are happy with the package they received or not.</p>
<p>Not much help I know, but that’s the way it is.</p>
<p>Well…unless I’m mistaken, Georgetown guarantees to meet full need. The other schools do not (unless there is something I don’t know)…so there is more likelihood of a gap between the aid plus EFC and the cost of attendance.</p>
<p>Of course, Georgetown is the most competitive school on that list so you would have to get past the admittance hurdle first.</p>
<p>Looking again…I also think that Tufts meets full need as well.</p>
<p>Thanks thumper.</p>
<p>waveofmutilation -</p>
<p>“meeting full need” means that the school decides what they think your full NEED is, and then they come up with a financial aid package of grants, loans, work-study, etc. to offer you. This package may be radically different from your definition of “best financial aid”.</p>
<p>You should run a couple of FAFSA calculators (start with the one at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org)) to find out what your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is likely to be. If you and your family aren’t prepared to come up with at least that much money every year, then you are going to have to go track down some colleges and/or universities that either a) cheap enough for you to pay for, or b) offer merit-based aid for students with your profile. Depending on your statistics, you may qualify for merit-based aid that adds up to way more than your need-based aid would be.</p>
<p>Financial Aid in most school comes down to your EFC on the FAFSA. Schools may send out literature implying that they have plenty of financial aid-Emory is one that continues to do so-but basically it comes down to the FAFSA. The FAFSA does not adequately take into account the regional cost of living differences, loans taken out for a previous childs’ education that must be paid back, spikes in income ie making $60,000 for 10 previous years but earning $85,000 in the base year. The Bush administration through the FAFSA basically thumbed it’s nose at the “middle class”. Only a few Ivy’s look beyond the EFC of the FAFSA. I agree with happymomof1. It’s the FAFSA, it’s the FAFSA, It’s the FAFSA. To assume anything else is to court disappointment. Complicating matters was the transfer of loans to private banks ie The Plus Loan that carries an 8.5% interest rate. Banks make out (thank you Mr. Bush) and students and families don’t. When this happened was there protest from the private colleges? We in the middle class should just turn the private schools over to the rich to whom they traditionally serve.</p>
<p>It’s also important to note that at least three of the schools on that list – Boston College, Georgetown, and Tufts (and maybe others) – do not give out any merit aid whatsoever. Therefore, getting financial aid will depend entirely upon the OP’s family’s financial situation.</p>