Often schools release packages as they are completed, especially for EA. Too many to process all at once.
Here I was thinking I could actually attend one of my top schools but alas the financial aid office had other plans
Did UNC meet your fafsa EFC? They have met our fafsa EFC for 3 years.
For those of you getting very little or no aid… it means that your EFC is close to or above the cost of attendance. UNC has always used our fafsa EFC despite also asking for the profile. You will have to pay your EFC at every school where you apply for FA.
@lesjubilants did you explain your special circumstances and ask for a reconsideration? If they agree to do it, you will get 2 packages. The first one which just came out, and then a new one in a few weeks.
For all of you hoping for need-based aid, you have to consider that UNC-CH has its own institutional definition of “need” – as does every college and university, and those institutional definitions vary from school to school. Further, those institutional definitions often don’t align with what you perceive your family’s “need” to be. That’s just the reality of it.
We’re anxiously waiting to hear about my son’s FA. I’m very curious about whether they will come close to our EFC. While that figure is high, we can probably swing it. DS is also a finalist for a scholarship, wondering if he is eventually selected how that will affect the final package as well.
Received FA details. Its close to EFC based on our FAFSA. Dad Assured me that its going to be some compromise on rest of the family, but will manage. Now all I have to do is focus on studies and prove myself.
The thing that surprised me is that of the $13,000, $8000 of the “package” is loans and $2700 is a work-study that has to be prepaid. Meaning that there was only about $1300 in grants. So if you add the loans to the EFC, it is $45,000 a year! Impossible… And for reference, ds has a 35 ACT, 3.926 GPA and was a semi-finalist for Morehead Cain.
@ajwomic Even worse for us!! No grants at all, just $3,500 loan and $2,700 work study. DS has a 36 ACT and 4.0 GPA. We know where he will not be going to school…
I’m an OOS and Carolina scholar (That I think covers all of room board and tuition) correct me if I’m wrong. I didn’t fill out a CSS on accident bc I thought that only FAFSA was needed so is it worth for me to still submit a CSS as well? Or are there hidden costs that the scholarship doesn’t cover?
My EFC was 0. Does that mean that i would be a Carolina Covenant or that they would pay everything for me?
@breakfeastclub1234567890 So was mine, did you have to fill out any verification forms? Because I haven’t heard back about financial aid either
For those who have already received their package and are surprised by the amounts; does the total amount including grants, loans and work study equal the EFC? It does state that they meet full need through a combination of grants and loans, not that they will meet full need in grants alone. When I run the net price calculator I get fairly close to our EFC, however, a chunk of that is a loan.
I wonder why there have been so many people their packages, but not everyone. Still wondering how scholarship money would be affected. Would grant money just be reduced, making the scholarship essentially not important?
Also, there seem to be some hard feelings that high stat kids aren’t getting good packages. Am I misunderstanding something, because I thought that after you are admitted that your stats don’t affect your FA at all. I doubt they are choosing the “best” students to offer the best packages, I think everyone is the same as far as the FA department is concerned.
FA is based on your EFC and EFC alone, not your grades. It is why it is always suggested to parents they run the net price calculator prior to their children applying to a school to ensure they will be able to afford it should they be admitted. Given the number of merit scholarships are so low, the expectation should be the family will have to meet the EFC and feel incredibly lucky if it works out they do not have to. This does not change school to school but is indeed how it works at every school. One can appeal if circumstances have vastly changed since applying for aid but outside of that, the number will not vastly change. Speaking from experience here…
I did run the net price calculator before ds applied. The difference between the net price calculator and what we were offered (or rather not offered) is $30,000. Also, the amount we are required to pay accouns for 50% of our family of 4 income. I guess I don’t understand how it all works. Being oos, we knew scholarship chances were small, but hoped for some FA based on net price calculator
@Monomin, there likely was a mistake on your end or their end if the difference is that much. Do you own a business? That can throw things off. Things like owning rental property can too, as can divorced parents.
@Monomin did the net price calculator that you ran give you approximately the same figure as the EFC? If your package is that far off from your EFC then something seems wrong. Would it help to contact the FA office and ask for reconsideration?
@UVAwahoowha I dont think it covers textbooks, but there’s really no way you can alleviate that with FA. It’s not worth your time to do the CSS, believe me. It’s 50 times worse than the fafsa
@Pastpower I would do the CSS. Even if your EFC is low. They require everyone to have the CSS so it will just delay your package if you are trying to get financial aid.
@Nurse001 I did do the CSS, I was simply responding to someone here. I don’t even really qualify for much financial aid at all but I did receive the Carolina Scholarship so my family should be able to cover any additional costs.
@pastpower I am sorry as I think I got lost in the thread somewhere as someone posted they didn’t do the CSS profile. Congratulations on the Carolina Scholarship. My son friend has it and I believe most everything is paid for.
This is a general statement. If you get your financial package please submit a reconsideration appeal if you think it is wrong. Financial aid has been wonderful to us. With that being said we do pay our EFC which is $11,000 (2 kids in college) but they had given my son grants and work study for the rest of the aid. We are still waiting on his senior year aid to come through.