<p>DD was accepted at both ND and Duke and sees advantages to both schools. One big hangup in her mind is cost - while Notre Dame was generous with their offer, Duke's package was a bit more so. The difference was a total of "only" $4k per year (only $2k if loans are included). In light of a COA over $60k, that represents less than 7%, but it certainly is significant to our family budget. We don't want to appear ungrateful for Notre Dame's offer, but she needs to make her decision in less than four weeks.</p>
<p>If I contact the FA office, will they consider what Duke has offered? Should I send an email or make a phone call or wait until we visit campus in a couple weeks? I would appreciate any and all advice from all you CC sages out there.</p>
<p>I would call FA on Monday morning and ask. This gives them time to consider your request and get the information back to you in time to make the decision. They may not give you any additional money but you have nothing to lose by asking for more.</p>
<p>Are you comparing the true net costs for both schools (tuition+fees+room and board) - (free grant money) to get to the out of pocket cost for your family? I think ND is about $1000 cheaper per year than Duke. Books and personal expenses will be similar at both and may be lower than you think depending on how carefully the student budgets their money. Travel expenses may be higher at one or the other depending on where you live and how often the student comes home and how often the family visits the campus. </p>
<p>Good Luck -two great choices and I am sure she will be happy at either one!</p>
<p>ceiliblue - thank you for your advice. You are correct about tuition being roughly $1k lower at ND and $2.5k lower for full COA. However, I am comparing only the actual amount out of pocket when stating that Duke ends up $4k less (although ND did offer an additional $2k in loans). Incidentally, I found it interesting that Notre Dame offered $500 more in Work Study money.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is cost of transportation. Duke is very close to the Raleigh Durham Airport. I think the Notre Dame kids have to take shuttles from Chicago or a little plane into their local airport. That $2K-$4K savings could be much more narrow when you consider transportation.</p>