Wait Listed for FA?

DD received Acceptance Letter followed by a wait list notification for FA. Anyone ever get FA and come off the wait list? Or is this a polite way of rejecting without actually saying it?

There could be some movement after the April notification date when the school finds out which of the accepted applicants who was offered FA is enrolling. When accepted kids commit to a different school, the FA allotted to them returns to the kitty to be redistributed- at that point there is some luck involved. If the tuba player turned them down, and your child plays tuba, she might get a spot. Most families will call the school (wait a few days) to get a better sense of their odds and schools are usually pretty forthcoming with information. If there is any chance you can switch to FP then let the school know asap and you will likely be given a spot. Unlike FP wait lists, FA wait lists are not usually just curtesies but it will take some time until the school can accurately gauge the likelihood of wether or not they will go to the FA waitlist.

Thanks chemmchimney…It’s tough when you’ve been accepted to the school and then put a financial aid wait list. Appreciate your insights. Would love to hear from someone that may have gotten FA after being on an FA wait list.

@dadprep I know. It is very tough! We were in this same spot 5 years ago. We were fortunate that a grandparent offered help so our daughter could enroll as FP. There definitely have been kids who have gotten off the FA waitlists - you can find them in the older wait list threads, some even as late as late August. By April 10 schools will have some idea how likely they are to have any FA free up. Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Thank you!

Not a polite rejection.

I can’t answer your exact question, but as background:

D was accepted at a school but on FA waitlist. Luckily she had another acceptance with FA and this school was actually her favorite, so we took the money and never looked back. If we had wanted to be on the other school’s FA waitlist, the dstes conflicted with committing to the school offering FA, so if you are in that situation, be sure to read all the fine print and know exactly what you are signing for, what are the potential penalties, etc.

Thanks alooknac! Good point on watching dates.

8 years ago my daughter was accepted to first grade but was waitlisted for FA. They actually called us and said that they loved her and will try to find FA resources.
They did. My daughter is graduating this year and her two younger siblings are in the same school both with FA.

Thanks yuor28! Very encouraging.

We got admitted and FA waitlisted at one of the schools my DS applied to. They really wanted him and we were told if he was willing to do a firm commitment we could get FA. The reason he was FA waitlisted is they knew their school wasn’t his top choice and they would have rather give the funding to a student they knew they could get. Since DS got into his three top choices, with FA, we immediately declined the acceptance.

I would call (or email and ask to schedule a call) with the financial aid department. I’m willing to bet your child’s school will be glad to explain the process and give you more details about your chances to get FA and how much you might be able to expect. My DD just got accepted to two schools with FA; we have some questions and concerns and a phone call this morning to the FA officer was extremely helpful. Good luck!

Thanks to everyone for their feedback. Latest Update: We were in contact with the school via phone and email several times to follow up on their suggestion to keep checking if FA would become available. Each time we received vague responses about not knowing yet what might become available. The deadline to accept FA had passed. Very disappointed with how things were handled. The good news is that we got a spectacular FA package from my D’s 2nd choice school…so that’w where she’s headed.