<p>Hi. My son was accepted to NYU Stern School with a very good financial aid package. Does anyone know if all things stay the same financially and with other kids in college if NYU offers the same package? I know someone who attend U of Chicago and the amount offered every year goes down even though his finances haven't change. I'm afraid that he will go the first year and then he will not be able to afford it the next 3 years.</p>
<p>The good news is that NYU, like most schools, do tend to give very similar aid packages for subsequent years if the financial info is the same. Not the same, but similar. Most all schools do expect the student to take on a larger portion of the cost each year, so there will be that. You should call the NYU financial aid office and get someone to give you some information on what the increase and amounts of student contributions each year are and will be. Also the cost goes up year. Just a fact of college life. And upperclassmen living accommodations tend to cost more as well. Also, many times materials and course fees may go up. </p>
<p>Make sure none of the package has aid with stipulation on it, like it’s just for one year or has a gpa contingency. Otherwise, it pretty much will be in the ball park with the above exceptions, though not specifically guaranteed, unless something totally unexpected happens. That goes for just about any school.</p>
<p>I’m not sure what you mean by your “with other kids in college”. If you have other kids in college now, if and when those kids are no longer full time students, yes, your aid will drop with just the one at NYU. That will be the same with any school. And if you have other kids slated to go into college, there is no guarantee that NYU will give more aid to take that into account, as they do not guarantee to meet need. </p>
<p>Thanks for the information. My son received 2 scholarships in his package - Stern and Robert Klein. I’m hearing different information about the scholarships automatically being renewed regardless of financial changes in family. The admissions counselor said they were renewable automatically for 4 years, but then sent me a link that said they should be, but might depend on financial changes. Some people have posted that they had to keep calling the financial aid office the second year to try to get them renewed. Why do they call them scholarships instead of grants if they are not automatically renewed like other schools? I’m planning on calling the financial aid office this week.</p>
<p>It doesn’t matter what the awards are called. All you need is some commitment from the admissions officer and/or the financial aid officer stating that the awards will be automatically renewed regardless of financial changes in the family. Usually merit money has a GPA stipulation, by the way, so if those are scholarships, they would likely have those conditions, though not always. Also, if the awards are from fin aid, yes, changes in financial conditions will likely mean reduction in aid. ALso if your son is getting any work study, subsidized loans, other federal/state money other than PELL, by law those WILL absolutely be reduced if future FAFSA EFCs do not support that kind of award. But you need to get an absolute commitment and all of the terms of those scholarships, whether they are need based or not. Will you have to file FAFSA each year to keep them or not. IF they are pure merit, the likelihood is smaller that you are REQUIRED to fill out fin aid forms in the future to keep them. If they are not, it would be a requirement. </p>