Why does UMich get hassled so much for poor OOS fin aid but UCB/LA, UVA, UNC do not?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Michigan
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<p>Michigan costs about 7-10k/yr more than UVA and UNC, so that could be part of the issue.</p>

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It's actually a pretty simple answer. As far as UNC goes, it costs $10,000 less than UMich to begin with. UVA and UC's, as well as UNC all accept far fewer out of state applicants than UMich, so there are simply more people who are impacted by UMich's poor aid to out of state students. Besides, out of state is out of state. Especially in this economy, you shouldn't expect much aid from public universities.

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I'd say that's a pretty good assessment.</p>

<p>Also, you pay 45k/yr to live in Michigan, or the same amount to live in Southern CA. People will tend to complain about the disparity in location for the same price, whether they should or not. Such is life :/</p>

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<p>DriftwoodParty, I agree with most of what you say, but I am not sure I see how UVa is "substantially" cheaper than Michigan for OOS students. UVa is roughly $4,000 cheaper than Michigan. I would not call that substantial. UNC is indeed "substantially" cheaper than Michigan, but not UVa.</p>

<p>At any rate, Michigan is definitely not generous when it comes to financial aid offered to OOS students. That is one of its few weaknesses. unfortunately, that is not likely to change for several reasons. </p>

<p>1) As one of the top 2 or 3 public universities in the nation, it will always attract OOS and international students who are willing to pay full (or close to full) tuition.</p>

<p>2) Michigan is already offering highly discounted rates to in-state students, who make up 65% of the undergraduate student population. Furthermore, as a public university, Michigan is expected to provide 100% of demonstrated need to those in-state students. As such, Michigan cannot afford being too generous to all OOS students.</p>

<p>3) Although Michigan's endowment stood at a whopping $7.6 billion (6th largest in the land), its endowment on a per-student basis is roughly $200,000 (23rd best among research universities). That's excellent considering that Michigan is a public university and receives additional money from the state. However, that is not quite enough to provide students with a generous financial aid program that would meet 100% of all demonstrated need. Besides, with the financial meltdown, I would be surprised if Michigan's endowment were greater than $5 billion come July of 2009. Only 5-7 universities are going to have endowments over $5 billion once the dust has settled. This can only mean MAJOR cuts in financial aid budgets over the coming years. </p>

<p>As a side note, I urge all of us to remember that we have limited visibility. We only see what affects us and what others tell us. Universities often claim that they meet 100% of "demonstrated" need. The problem with the word "demonstrated" is that it is open to interpretation. A family may require $30,000/year to afford a particular university by that university may acknowledge only $18,000 of that. If the university provides that family with $18,000, it will claim to have met 100% of that student's demonstrated need. Furthermore, some universities will reject qualified students simply because they cannot afford the school and load their admitted class with students who can afford paying the full cost or near full cost. Again, such schools will be able to claim that they have met 100% of demonstrate need.</p>

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<p>vc, I would live in Ann Arbor over SoCal or any other part of California for that matter. With the exception of the weather and the beach, I cannot think of many reasons why I would live in SoCal.</p>

<p>And Michigan is not $7,000-$10,000 more expensive than UVa. I have no idea why people think Michigan is so expensive. The UCs are as expensive (and only 2 of them are comparable to Michigan academically) and UVa is $3,000-$6,000 cheaper (on average, over 4 years, $4,000 per year).</p>

<p>U.Va</a>. Financial Aid - Estimated Cost of Attendance</p>

<p>University</a> of Michigan Office of Financial Aid: Cost of Attendance</p>

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<p>UNC and the UC's have about 85% or more in-state students, so there aren't going to be as many people complaining about the OOS tuition.</p>

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<p>At least UNC is a great bargain. I think it is like $33,000 a year for OOS, compared to $41,000 for UVA and $45,000 for Michigan and the UCs.</p>

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vc, I would live in Ann Arbor over SoCal or any other part of California for that matter. With the exception of the weather and the beach, I cannot think of many reasons why I would live in SoCal.

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<p>Oh Alexander, how I have missed your wit and stubbornness! But, fair enough. It's a lot harder to convince 18 year old kids (especially from the West Coast) to go to a place that's 13 degrees from December-February over a place where you walk around in shorts and flip-flops, have a view of the Channel Islands and Getty Center from your dorm window, and live in between Bel-Air, Brentwood and Beverly Hills though. I think a lot of people around here would probably say "Alexander, besides the Big House, I cannot think of many reasons why I would live in Michigan. Certainly not for the entertainment of Detroit!"</p>

<p>Heck, for our location, ~43k/yr is a bargain!</p>

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<p>gotta side with vc08 on this one. I mean c'mon frickin Brentwood vs. Ann Arbor? Then again I prefer the big city, so I'm biased.</p>

<p>There's one thing that's great about going to school up here, though: The cold weather is very conducive to studying. I don't think I'd be able to study as much as I do in a warmer climate like LA, where I'd rather be at the beach than sitting in the library.</p>

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<p>Take it from a person who has lived in Paris and London, Ann Arbor rocks! Ignorance may dictate otherwise, but anybody who has seen as much as I has knows a great town when they see it.</p>

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<p>DriftwoodParty -- I'd like to clarify and shouldn't have been so cryptic in my post. I referenced the departmental awards because in the case of the School of Music, Theatre and Dance, consideration for merit award does not occur until this week, with notification expected the first week of April. I did not know if other departments operated in the same way or not. So if your student has received acceptance to the school of music, there are still merit opportunities available (because the last auditions were held last Friday.) But I am unaware of other departments. </p>

<p>Having flown out and had son fall in love with NYU, I can appreciate why you're reluctant to invest in Spring Welcome/Campus day if you already know the FA package is subpar comparatively. Have you contacted the financial aid department and referenced your son's other offers...and made them aware U of M is a likely first choice? I may be all wet here, but with so many feeling the OOS offers were insufficient, perhaps there remains some OOS funds to access. I do not know if this is advisable or not and have no knowledge on its effectiveness, but a candid conversation might open up a possibility that might not otherwise have existed!
And it seems to me that indeed you've done your homework so please do not let my comment about departmental awards have you feel otherwise.
Good luck to you.
Cheers,
K</p>

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<p>Thanks kmcringle and alexandre. I'll follow that advice. There is just so much that I'm impressed about re UM that we were extremely disappointed. UM's self-assessment that leads to improved programs such as the MLC, the UROP, and of course Go Blue! (My mother who has retired to the beach Alexandre (and I do note you're in Dubai...it does have indoor skiing, doesn't it??) was from Detroit. So although I moved East, I've always had a desire for my son to return to the MidWest.</p>

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<p>Yes, we do have indoor skiing, but our beaches aren't as nice as you might expect. 5 months of the year, it is too hot (well over 100 degrees) and 3 months of the year, it is too cold (under 75 degrees).</p>

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<p>Oh the ignorance of non-Californians! Alexander, I take it you A) haven't ever been to UCLA, or B) were here for a very, very short time.</p>

<p>This isn't an NYU, big-city campus we're talking about. Please stop advertising it as a place similar to London and Paris! I understand you're biased to Michigan, and you know I'm a big fan of Ann Arbor, but I mean c'mon, you have to be a little neutral when trying to help out kids making a major life decision! It takes about 45 minutes to get into down-town LA from here. HARDLY in the middle of a city.</p>

<p>Michigan is a wonderful place, but it's not the only wonderful one. Ann Arbor is a sweet college town, but there are other nice ones too.</p>

<p>When the average home price in this part of LA is over $2 Million, most people don't complain about 40k tuition. And that's not my opinion, that's their words.</p>

<p>Anyway, good luck to the OP, sorry about tuition; with the economy, I can't blame you, but in the end everyone is getting messed up--students and universities alike</p>