<li><p>How is total cost determined? I wonder because the financial aid award I see on my SOLAR account is greater than the $21000 it said in the acceptance packet.</p></li>
<li><p>Is the presidential recognition scholarship a four year award, or is it just for the first year?</p></li>
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<p>(By the way, Mr. D’Orso, thanks for being a part of the forums- you’ve made SB seem like a much friendlier place. And it gives everyone a chance to ask question with a good bit of anonymity.)</p>
<p>You can qualify for financial aid over and above the "sticker price" that you see in the book. We don't necessarily know what meal plan you'll choose, or whether you'll need the health insurance, or things like that. So they usually package you higher if they can. You can take any or all of what's offered. I know that when I was in grad school, I took some extra money out in loans to cover expenses. (I honestly wish I didn't, because I'm going to be paying it back until I'm 130 years old, but you know...)</p>
<p>All of the presidential scholarships are renewable annually, as long as you maintain your GPA. Info on all of the scholarship offerings is available here: <a href="http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/ugadmissions/scholarships/faq.shtml%5B/url%5D">http://ws.cc.stonybrook.edu/ugadmissions/scholarships/faq.shtml</a></p>
<p>Thanks for the welcome... I'm glad to be here. Better than you get answers to your questions about what's really going on around campus from someone who's actually here, rather than somebody who maybe heard something from someone about the campus five years ago. :)</p>
<p>-Chris</p>