<p>I'm choosing between RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) and PhilaU (Philadelphia University). Both schools cost within about $1,000 of each other (incl. room and board, tuition), PhilaU being more. RIT offered me ~$18k merit aid and PhilaU ~$12k merit.</p>
<p>I get a call about a week ago from some guy at PhilaU saying that if it comes down to financial aid, to please call back so we could "work it out". Based on my EFC of 0, I think they should or would know that their offer does fall a little short for me. Do I just basically tell it flat to them like I did to you guys, and take it from there? Anyone have any experience asking for more money? I feel rude calling and saying (as I sarcastically think to myself), "Umm, yeah. Excuse me. Your offer kind of sucks compared to this other school, can you work on it. Kthxbye." 0_o.</p>
<p>You are in a pretty good place, considering the phone call. You can call the FA office back, and tell them or somehow show them the better offer. This is not that unusual, and since they suggested it to you in the first place, you might have some luck. I wouldn’t, however, say it the way you (I know, sarcastically) said it above. Good luck!</p>
<p>Before doing anything, you must read the “fine print” associated with merit money and not be afraid to ask follow up questions concerning your scholarships/merit $</p>
<p>Is it automatically renewable for the next 4 years</p>
<p>Is it renewable for the same amount of money?</p>
<p>Is scholarship adjusted to take into consideration tuition increases (about 5% per year)</p>
<p>Is there a gpa requirement needed to keep getting the money?</p>
<p>When does the gpa requirement start (by the end of fall term or the end of spring term)?</p>
<p>Is there a phase in to the gpa requirement?</p>
<p>What happens if you do not meet gpa requirement, does money leave immediately or is there a grace period?</p>
<p>If you lose scholarship and bring your grades back up is money reinstated?</p>
<p>Ask the financial aid office what percent of students lose their merit money in the first year.</p>
<p>And the most important question… worse case scenario if you were to lose the scholarship would you still be able to swing the cost of attending?</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice, sybbie and franglish. :)</p>
<p>I understand there to be some restrictions at both schools. For example, a minimum of 3.0 must be kept, however, I don’t know if grace periods are applicable or not. Both of them are renewable for four years, so that sweetens the deal quite a bit. Honestly, I’d never, ever, not even if hell froze over, have a GPA of under 3.0. Never.</p>
<p>I would not be able to attend either of these schools without the merit award. It’s critical, to be honest, considering my family’s financial situation. I could ask if I’m eligible for any other need-based grants from the school, too, which I will do when I call on Monday. I’ll also ask if they consider tuition increases with the scholarships. </p>
<p>For a better breakdown of what I was awarded, now that I am reviewing the FA packages, $7.5k was (merit) scholarship at RIT and also $10.2k grant (not sure if that is need-based or not). For PhilaU, $11k was merit-based scholarship and $1.1k was grant (again, not sure if it was need-based or not).</p>
<p>I’m not sure if the grants are renewable for either college, most likely I believe they are (as I map my four-year debt plan), so I’ll also have to call RIT and ask them that. Thank you for bringing those points to light because if any of this isn’t renewable, it’s going to hugely impact my decision.</p>
<p>PS> I also applied for the Robert C. Byrd Scholarship and 12 local ones. :D</p>
<p>Be careful when comparing merit aid and financial aid. </p>
<p>We tried working with a school with our older son. The school we were working with offered less merit aid (7500) than another school (offerd 16,000). Both had similar COA sticker prices. They did come up with a new package, but it did not make us happy. Here is what they did:</p>
<p>They bumped up a 7500 merit award to 10,000 but increased the GPA to keep it from 2.7 to 3.0.</p>
<p>They took away work study, and changed the sub Stafford loans to unsubsidized Staffords. </p>
<p>As you can see, the difference in what they initially offered to what they were offering in their second package did not thrill us, AND I began to wonder if they were “banking” on the fact that my son would not be able to meet that 3.0 threshold for the following year. He did not attend that school because the package was just not a good one.</p>
<p>seni, I cross posted with you. Grants that are not merit, are usually tied to financial need, based upon the financial aid forms that you complete. EFCs change, and forms must be completed every year. Financial aid grants can change annually, and usually, the loan portion increases annually (5500 as a freshman, 6500 soph, 7500 for juniors and seniors). They can also add on other loans like Perkins loans, and they can gap (not meet full need).</p>
<p>Never say never, especially if you are planning on majoring in engineering which can have a brutal curve and it not unusual for students to have gpa that they are lower than what they were used to.</p>
<p>Since the school has already contacted you about your FA package, certainly let them know (politely) that their current package isn’t affordable. It sounds like they’re willing to offer you more.</p>
<p>If there is a high GPA req’t to the new amount, ask for that to be lowered (get that in WRITING) and save the correspondence.</p>
<p>and Rochester wins out considerably in student:teacher ratio. If the dollars you spend are close at all, you get much better value for your money at Rochester, methinks. </p>
<p>I always do this kind of comparison between colleges–not just what they cost out of pocket, but what they spend per student. </p>
<p>Since your EFC is zero, you should also be eligible for large state grants if you’re instate for either. Do your award letters reflect those…it sounds like they do not? If you’re a NY resident, TAP would add nearly $5K/year to your award. PA grants are less, I know, but may still be significant. It does sound like RIT is giving you some merit and some need based aid, not an $18K merit. </p>
<p>Do you have a preference between these schools? RIT and the Rochester area are very different from Philly! I know that RIT is a co-op school, is PhilaU too? That could give you some very good experience as well as a chance to earn money while you’re in school.</p>
<p>@sk8rmom: Haha, yeah both schools are very different. With regards to PHEAA (PA state funding, I’m a resident of PA), this is what their website says if I were attend Rochester (located in New York). To quote PHEAA’s website:
</p>
<p>So I can’t get TAP or PHEAA :(. I’ll be calling their regional office to see if I fall into those “certain limited exceptions”. Also, RIT’s FA package adds up to ~$37k and but on the back side of the FA says total estimated charges are ~$40k + ~$2k for book equaling $42k. This implies that I have ~$6k in “estimated annual charges”, as presented by this lovely worksheet. I have maybe $3k in cash now. I don’t know how I could pay for that without any loans at all. And I’m most probably going to get denied for any additional private loans (my brother went through the exact same thing going into college-- and he goes to Temple.)</p>
<p>I will be speaking with a FA rep. when I go up to visit Friday so I can grasp a better understanding of all of this. Also:</p>
<p>
@Sibbie: RIT’s min. GPA is 2.8 for grants. Not too shabby if I say so myself. ;)</p>
<p>But to update you all on my sitch, I had my mom call both schools and we figured that, since she’s going to get denied PLUS loans, that we best find some way to increase my unsubsidized Stafford Loans or see if either university can provide additional grants. Both schools should have a new package for me within two weeks, and definitely before May 1st.</p>
<p>It sounds like you’re doing everything right…good luck! Btw, schools sometime ask parents to notify them first if they’re unlikely to get approved for a PLUS loan. This is because the schools can make the determination and award the additional Staffords without the parent going through the actual loan process and risking getting approved when it’s not really an option financially.</p>
Good luck!</p>