<p>I am aware of the varying policies between one college / university to the next , and the methods they use to determine eligability, but really, who do the colleges and financial aid departments have to answer to as to how funds are distibuted ?</p>
<p>Is it a matter of legal record, at least where federal grants and loans are concerned ?
Are they bound to list the recipients of institional grants and scholarships , or private scholarships ?
Anyone here have some knowledge to share ?</p>
<p>Their state department of education, then the US Department of Education.</p>
<p>For Federal funds, there are very stringent guidelines administered by the federal government.</p>
<p>Since most of the federal funding is need based, I would think it would be a very significant violation of confidentiality to list the names of students who receive these awards. Simply put…it’s no one’s business who receives need based aid and who is paying full freight.</p>
<p>For their institutional monies, they can do ANYTHING they choose. It’s their money, and they can disperse it any way they want to.</p>
<p>Re: “listing” these recipients…most schools do not list these either. There are some very prestigious scholarships at some schools (think along the line of Rhodes Scholars) where the recipients are listed. BUT again…it’s really no one’s business who is getting a scholarship and who isn’t.</p>
<p>" For Federal funds, there are very stringent guidelines administered by the federal government. " </p>
<p>I would certainly hope this is true… Presuming it is, how then how can one school determine the basis of need over another ? </p>
<p>Example, I have two children in college. Based on our family’s EFC, why should one child benefit from federal grants, work study and loans, and the other completely off the radar and inelligible?</p>
<p>And how can that be determined when the documents supplied , as requested even being reviewed ( as stated on website )</p>
<p>Different schools, yes…but how can it vary in such an enourmous way ?</p>
<p>Maybe it is true that listing recipients of scholarships is " no one’s business " but I have seem many public diplays of who rec’d what…whether local community, state or national level.
I don’t undersand the protocol for releasing this info and wanted to know if it is a matter of public record, or if left up to the benefactor to release such info ?</p>
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<p>Well…if your EFC is below the benchmark for the Pell Grant, one would think that both students would receive it.</p>
<p>On thing that could make a difference…if one of your kids is receiving scholarships from a school, that would REDUCE that student’s financial need. The student receiving the scholarships (merit based or outside sources) would have less financial need than the student NOT receiving those same monies. The financial aid for the student receiving the outside or merit scholarships might be less.</p>
<p>Another thing that impacts different siblings with regard to EFC is each student’s assets. One sibling might have more income or savings or investments than the other sibling. That is why the EFC for two students in the same family attending college is seldom the same…the kids have different assets and income.</p>
<p>When you mention a “benefactor” that might be a named scholarship or a private scholarship, and yes…it’s up to the person awarding it whether they want the names released. We have a private foundation here that awards a ton of scholarships to graduates of our high school, and all of them are listed in the program at graduation. But that’s a bit different than listing merit scholarships awarded by universities. AND it is a LOT different that listing those students who receive need based grants.</p>
<p>Thank you thumper1 for your answers.</p>
<p>They are helpful, but still I haven’t found what I am looking for…I wish it was as simple as one child having assets higher than the other, but if that applied in our family circumstances, the one who has more in the bank, receives more in all areas…merit, institutional and federal…no Pell Grants, which I wouldn’t expect.</p>
<p>To be honest, I have little or no expectations for private scholarships associated with d’s college, as application is in the middle of the academic year…and not because of worthiness with regard to grades and other merit factors , which happen to be strong.</p>
<p>I don’t mean to come across as a bitter parent who envies the students who rec’d scholarships that I feel mine were entitled to ( I have some personal experience with that and it isn’t pretty )</p>
<p>What perplexes me is how by federal methodology, one can receive and one cannot, which leads me to question who actually DOES receive from college in question ?
D is a junior and knows a lot of the students of her relatively small school…many wealthy ( really wealthy ) and some dirt poor. No one she knows receives much of anything…even a friend whose parents are literally at poverty level.
That is why I posed the question of the thread topic …</p>
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<p>If the school does not guarantee to meet full need, they are under NO obligation to provide financial aid in excess of the mandates for things like the Pell (I believe the EFC for Pell is $5000 or less…something like that). It sounds like your daughter’s school does not guarantee to meet the full need of its students. That being the case, you WILL see students who do not get a lot of money. The school likely does not have a huge endowment to support giving money other than the minimum that the feds disperse to those who are really needy.</p>
<p>Also…you don’t know the circumstances behind any of these other students. There are students who seem wealthy who have financial need, and students who seem poor who have no need. The finances of these students is private.</p>
<p>Every year here on CC, there are speculations about the finances of others…and every year, someone (not usually me) reminds folks that what you see isn’t necessarily the whole story. A family that looks wealthy (drives the BMW, goes on lavish vacations) may be living well beyond their means…or maybe grandma and grandpa are paying for these luxuries. A family who appears poverty stricken may be the same family that has lived well below their means and squirreled away money to pay for college expenses. </p>
<p>You just can’t tell by looking at the outside. AND I have to say again…I still think it’s no one’s business who gets financial aid (and how much) and who does not…or why.</p>
<p>Again thumper1, I am not expecting to see the private issues surrounding student’s and parent’s private finances…just as I wouldn’t want our family’s matters displayed for public view.
I know all too well what people’s perception of other’s apparent ’ wealth ’ or lack of implies…We live with such perceptions every day in our community and workplace</p>
<p>I am NOT trying to make individual’s private finances out here for public scrutiny by any means. That is not my issue…my issue is how one college views their family’s EFC to anothers…both private institutions.</p>
<p>How can it vary so much.</p>
<p>You seem to miss the point of my question.</p>
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<p>what do you wany to know??? Mt daughter was given a Perkins Loan by one school…but not another. She had a subsidized loan at one school and an unsubsidized at another. Her school grant (need based) was $9000 at one school and $6000 at another. Her brother, who was in college at the same time had a merit scholarship but only $250 in need based grant aid…and his stafford loan was half subsidized and half not.</p>
<p>Neither of their schools guaranteed to meet full need…and they didn’t.</p>
<p>Grant money at both of their schools was institutional money. That is the way it is at a LOT of universities. Institutional money is awarded at the college’s discretion.</p>
<p>Do you have two kids at two different colleges with two different need based packages? That is NOT unusual…especially if the colleges use the Profile to consider need based aid. Schools can use the information on the Profile or their own financial aid form…in any way they choose. Home equity is also a variable that is not the same from school to school. Some schools don’t count it at all, some cap it, and some count a higher percentage of it than others. Clearly there is a difference here that would affect the total amount of the financial aid package.</p>
<p>thumper, I do understand the differences from what one school to another offers. Meeting full need has never even been a consideration in either of my daughter’s decisions</p>
<p>I went through the various offers from schools and weighed it out with the family just as most people do.
I guess I have not made myself clear enough.</p>
<p>What I question is how do we know what has been given, particulary in terms of federal aid…and if anything has been , as regulated ?</p>
<p>I am not looking for a list of names and any other personal identifying info being given out to the general public .</p>
<p>Unfortunately, our family’s financial circumstances have changed in the current economic climate, just as many other’s have.
One school is willing to work with it, the other it seems not
Leading to me to ask again, who do they answer to, besides the affected famly ?
I promise, I am not trying to mooch or take anything away from your child</p>
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<p>Ah…I think I understand. </p>
<p>When your financial situation changes midyear, you discuss this with each financial aid office…and it is called a “special circumstance”. Financial aid offices are given a lot of discretion in dealing with special circumstances. Some will discuss them and others will not. That is up to each financial aid office. Also, the extent to which these offices offer additional aid mid-year due to financial issues is also variable and is at the discretion of each financial aid office.</p>
<p>So…it is very possible that one school will work with you and another school will not. It is possible that the school that is willing to work with you has not already exhausted its resources. Perhaps the other one has. </p>
<p>If you filed the FAFSA with both schools last spring, you should at least be eligible for Stafford loans from each school. Beyond that, your federal eligibility would be limited (you said earlier that you didn’t qualify for a Pell grant). There just isn’t all that much “federal” grant money out there. </p>
<p>Some schools have more grant money than others to begin with (institutional grant money…not Pell grants). These schools might better be able to make an adjustment to your financial aid mid-year. Schools with less institutional resources typically set an amount per year they are willing to disperse in financial aid. It is possible that the second school (the one that won’t work with you) has simply exhausted its institutional grant funding. And for institutional funding…they answer only to themselves.</p>
<p>In any case…good luck to you. I hope that your special circumstances appeal to the school that has indicated it WILL work with you will net you some help.</p>
<p>^I doubt Thumper is implying that. [EDIT–this comment was in reply to the poster’s comment above Thumper’s last comment].</p>
<p>It might be easier to answer you if you were specific about the federal aid you are talking about–almost all federal grant money is the Pell Grant, but you said you are not eligible for that. Most federal grant money only goes to very low income students.</p>
<p>As to your question overall–college FA offices are regularly monitored and audited by the Ed Dept. to account for the money the disperse.</p>
<p>Financial aid officer chiming in here … federal money is STRICTLY regulated. There are rules and regulations every school MUST follow when awarding federal aid.</p>
<p>First, assuming no Pell eligibility, the only “guarantee” is Stafford loans. SEOG and federal work study are awarded from a pot of money that is given to the school at the start of the year. Schools distribute them according to the neediest-first … so a student at a school with many low EFC students will be less likely to get these funds than a student at a school with few low EFC students. In addition, schools have often awarded all of these funds by the start of the first semester; even low EFC students might not get any funding for a second semester start or a late FAFSA filing. Perkins is very limited & not available at all schools; it must be awarded to the neediest students in the school’s population.</p>
<p>Stafford loans are awarded as follows: Cost of Attendance - EFC - any scholarships/grants/other aid = Need. Subsidized loans are awarded up to Need or $3500/4500/5500 (fr/soph/jrsr), whichever is lowest. To determine unsubsidized loan eligibility, take COA - any scholarships/grants/other aid (including subsidized Stafford loan) = unsub eligibility. The maximum sub AND unsub is $5500/6500/7500 (fr/soph/jrsr) … take the maximum minus subsidized awarded (if any) to determine the amount the student can receive (as long as the total of all aid does not exceed the COA … if it does, loans are only awarded up to COA).</p>
<p>I just noticed that you said one school is wiling to work with you, while the other is not. The government allows schools to use professional judgment in unusual situations. You were fortunate that one school worked with you … they were under no obligation to do so.</p>
<p>Thank you kelsmom,
Very helpful…SEOG was granted to other daughter, though we didn’t look for it or even anticipate it. It was granted after submitting actual tax forms ( we filed late on an extention ) Same daughter was also granted Stafford sub and non sub loans.</p>
<p>The biggest problem I have is that D1’s info wasn’t even reviewed and thus put into consideration for review. Not even looking at 81 pages of hard to obtain ( and costly as some had to be prepared by our accountant ) is unacceptable to me.</p>
<p>I am angry, frustrated and left with some painful decisions because her finaid officer is unwilling to take the time to do her job and work for the student.</p>
<p>I know of other people going thru tough times too, and their schools have been very helpful</p>
<p>My feeling is that the school, at the very least owes us the courtesy of combing thru the 81 pages of documents before making a decision that will impact a member of their student body ,who had given endless ours to the comminuty that shapes their institution</p>
<p>What I was hoping for was pretty small…less than 10% of th annual COA</p>
<p>If you truly feel that you haven’t gotten the consideration you believe you should have received from the aid office, you can ask someone higher up the chain of command to review your information. Even if there is nothing they can do after all is said & done, at least you will feel that you did all you could.</p>
<p>thanks, kelsmom… I just got off the phone with the director of financial aid at her school. I felt like at least now her information will be reviewed and considered.
Here’s hoping !
She seemed a lot more courteous and compassionate than the woman assigned to my daughter.</p>