<p>They are also reportable assets if in the parents name - but the EFC takes a lower % (5.6% as opposed to 20%)</p>
<p>Thanks! We keep telling S to do well because he is our retirement plan! :)</p>
<p>partygrl,
I feel your pain. We had the same situation a few years ago (great private school with high tuition and no money vs state school). Offers seemed unrelated to merit (still stings a bit). Because of grad/professional school aspirations as well as a younger sibling, we made the opposite choice. I still don't know what is best, but good luck to you.</p>
<p>It’s been more than half a year since the last post in this thread, and now a new season of financial aid offers has arrived. Which colleges are giving you unpleasant surprises in their financial aid offers? Here’s a suggested format for replies: </p>
<p>EXAMPLE ONE, DISAPPOINTING EFC: </p>
<p>My child’s college, [name of college], lists a total cost of attendance of [dollar amount]. By their calculation, our expected family contribution was [dollar amount]. That’s disappointing, as we don’t think that’s affordable. </p>
<p>EXAMPLE TWO: GAPPED AWARD </p>
<p>My child’s college, [name of college], lists a total cost of attendance of [dollar amount]. By their calculation, our expected family contribution was [dollar amount]. So our family’s demonstrated financial need was [first dollar amount minus second dollar amount]. But the financial aid award was [dollar amount smaller than third dollar amount]. I’m disappointed that the college “gapped” us. </p>
<p>Good luck to all of you comparing colleges now for attendance in fall 2009.</p>
<p>Here is an example from post #124 and a good way of posting this information:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Thanks, northeastmom, for posting that clear example.</p>
<p>You’re welcome. I think that it is best to take the emotion out of it, and just list the bottom line as in this example. This is what would be most helpful. Again, the example:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>UCSB gave me a disappointing financial aid offer at first as a preview before I matriculated, but after I matriculated, I ended up only having to loan $1400. </p>
<p>And even with that, I still had money left over through the refund checks. :)</p>
<p>In fact, I received a refund check for three quarters straight. :)</p>
<p>I have a 0 EFC. :)</p>
<hr>
<p>Edit #1: How do you quote a message in a post? :(</p>
<p>Edit #2: northeastmom and thumper1 has a great format for posting financial aid offers. :)</p>
<p>Edit #3: The Cost of Attendance is for California Residents Undergraduate Students with On Campus Housing. :)</p>
<p>Edit #4: northeastmom’s and thumper1’s suggested format: :)</p>
<p>University of California Santa Barbara for the 2008-2009 Academic Year</p>
<p>Cost of Attendance: $26453
EFC: $0
Total Scholarships and Grants Offered: $20403
Total Loans Offered: $4150
Total Federal Work-Study Offered: $1900</p>
<p>Meets full need (with the use of loans). (Well, maybe not for everyone, but for me, yes.) :)</p>
<p>I ended up not using the Federal Work-Study Award ($1900) and Federal Direct Loan — Subsidized ($2750). :)</p>
<p>I did take out the Federal Perkins Loan (which I have to pay back). :(</p>
<p>depauw</p>
<p>coa 42000
efc 2200
grants 27000
loans 5500</p>
<p>chaospaladin: Here is the link to the BB Code List, which tells how to quote, etc.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=bbcode[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/misc.php?do=bbcode</a></p>
<p>
[quote]
the words you are quoting[/*quote]</p>
<p>omit the *</p>
<p>Thanks gladmom, northeastmom, and swimcatsmom. :)</p>
<p>I’ll try to post my UCSD financial aid offer from last year if I can find it. :)</p>
<p>I attend UCSB. :)</p>
<p>But I did remember UCSB giving me a significantly better financial aid offer than UCSD. :)</p>
<p>Aren’t all undergraduate UC campuses suppose to have the same financial aid package? (Ignoring NMS, Regents, Chancellor’s, Drake Scholarship, other scholarships, etc.) :)</p>
<p>Northwestern </p>
<p>COA:53719
EFC: 227
Scholarships/Grants: 30339
Loans:3500
Work Study: 2300
Unmet: 17580</p>
<p>Wow, I’m surprised that Northwestern doesn’t meet full need.</p>
<p>Our EFC is about 19k (which is about 20% of our GROSS income). </p>
<p>UPitt: Full tuition (it would cost us about 11K) but son is up for full ride scholarship
Fordham: Full tuition (it would cost us about 12k) but son is up for full ride scholarship
Brandeis: 25k grant, work study, loans and then about 17k from parents
BC: 37k grant, loans and about 21k from parents</p>
<p>Still waiting for UofChicago (sure to be bad) and Northwestern(no idea but I suspect like Brandeis) and the ivies.</p>
<p>I hate to have my son pick based on the best deal, but it’s just crazy to think that a family can pay 25% or more of take home pay, especially in this economic climate.</p>
<p>College costs are just out of control. I went just 20 years ago and it was not cost prohibitive, you didn’t have to apply to 10 schools and kids didn’t have to do all this crazy over achieving insanity to get in.</p>
<p>I am hoping for some reality checks in the near future.</p>
<p>What I don’t understand is why Northwestern is listed as meeting 100% of financial need:</p>
<p>[Student</a> Aid on the Web](<a href=“http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/campustour/undergraduate/155/Northwestern_University/Northwestern_University4.html]Student”>http://studentaid2.ed.gov/gotocollege/campustour/undergraduate/155/Northwestern_University/Northwestern_University4.html)</p>
<p>Sounds like some false advertising to me! Unless, of course, there were some things Profile uncovered that FAFSA did not - depends on the family’s situation.</p>
<p>Jamiecakes: 20% of gross income is the norm. Some people do manage to pay it, with loans and savings and frugality. Assuming, of course, that you haven’t been going on a vacation every year and shopping at Abercrombie for your kids’ clothes. (My family has about the same EFC as yours, with the same % of income, and I didn’t grow up expecting vacations more than maybe a week every five years. Lifestyle differences.)</p>
<p>Kelsmom, this is not an advertisement though. This is the US Department of Education’s website.</p>
<p>Right - but the school provides the info that goes on that website.</p>