<p>Lehigh
Case Western Reserve
Penn State
Carnegie Mellon</p>
<p>reply please!!!</p>
<p>Since you are a PA resident, Penn State is probably going to be less than half the price of the other schools since the rest of them are privates.</p>
<p>I think that you should check thier websites to find out the following:</p>
<p>Is the school need blind (your ability to pay may be a factor in admissions)</p>
<p>Does the school meet 100% of your demonstrated need.</p>
<p>IF yes, how is that need met?</p>
<p>Average need based package?</p>
<p>Does school offer merit aid?</p>
<p>What are the qualifications for getting merit aid?</p>
<p>Average amount of grant/scholarship aid given?</p>
<p>Average amount of student indebtness/</p>
<p>Then make your decision.</p>
<p>i just wanted to know the general rating/opinion regarding financial aid of those schools...
i guess it was a wrong question since diff. schools look at diff. things when determining financial aid..</p>
<p>your info was useful sybbie. Thank you!</p>
<p>I think Penn State has a few plum scholarships, but is probably not able to be as generous with financial aid as the privates. OTOH, the tuition is less. I think the only way you could really compare is to apply to each and see what the offers are.</p>
<p>Mizera,</p>
<p>There are too many variables in the financial aid process to giv you a one size fits all answer. I may have the same income as your parents, but that does not mean that you and my daughter will recieve the same aid package because financial aid does look at the following items:</p>
<p>Age of parent
Home equity
Investments
Medical expenses
Other children in college
Savings</p>
<p>Daughter just finished freshman year. Last year we got 7 different EFC's and 7 different packages all from need blind schools which meet 100% of your demonstrated need. Some packages gave no loans in their package, others gave both perkins and subsidized stafford loans. She had work study raning from $1000 to $2500 and a few thousand dollars difference in scholarship grant aid.</p>
<p>There are a number of financial aid calculators you could use. While Penn state willonly use the FAFSA (federal methodology) to calculate your aid. Some schools will use their own institutional methodology which varies from school to school. Others still use a combination of both federal and institutional methodology to calculate your aid.</p>
<p>Keep in mind the following:</p>
<p>Cost of attendance (tuition, room board ,books etc)</p>
<p>minus EFC (expected family contribution -2 components 1 part based on parent's earnings, 1part based on students assets/summer earnings)</p>
<p>= Demonstrated Need (this is what the school beleives that you need and no 2 schools fills need the same way.</p>
<p>Hope this gives you a better understanding.</p>