Son is lucky to be admitted into 4 ivies. He received good need based aid from two of the HYP colleges. He also got full merit scholarship in top 20 school but they are not ivies. Son got into a M&T program at wharton but price differnce from other ivies is 15 k more. Would Upenn match other higher ranked ivies. Is it worth to ask if they would match or time to move on?
You can ask UPenn…or he can go to one of the more affordable schools…
Can I ask Upenn about financial aid or it is a no no that parents shoukd not be involved. Only student should contact school. Thanks
When it comes to money, parents can ask since it is the parents who know the family finance and the parents who have to pay.
In general, Ivy League schools will at least rerun the numbers based on a better FA package for a comp school. The offer may or may not change, but certainly ask. Be aware, if you’re not already, that some Ivies include different things in the calculation. For example, Penn includes home equity; Harvard does not. Also note that Penn (and every other Ivy) will not match merit.
And it is perfectly acceptable for the parent(s) to ask the question.
Thank you, please fogive me as I have many questions
Son received also outside scholarships that are substantial and are paid annually. Some other scholarship are one time payment only. Can we use these annual scholarships towards workstudy, summer job. Can we buy one time scholarship forbuying a new computer or cell phone from that scholarships.
In addition son has already secured paid summer internship. I am sure our family contribution will go up and we do not mind.
See what Penn says about outside scholarships:
http://www.sfs.upenn.edu/paying/outside-scholarships.htm
@skieurope can you please provide similar link for H and P. Thanks a lot.
https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/types-aid/outside-awards
https://finaid.princeton.edu/policies-procedures/outside-scholarships
Thanks a lot
Perfectly fine for parent’s to get involved in FA discussions. Might even be preferable. Keep in mind that schools don’t like to be asked to “match,” they’d much rather be asked to re-evaluate in light of another award.
A few years back the Yale Daily News ran a very detailed article with with information on appealing Yale Financial Aid awards. While Yale specific, it is likely applicable to the other Ivy’s as well. The article can be found here: http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2016/11/11/how-generous-is-generous-enough/
Indeed. I’m not sure what Penn’s stance is, which is why I worded my initial post like I did. Harvard, I know, will not “match;” they will reevaluate their offer based upon Princeton’s (as an example) offer.
This is our first kid going to college in USA, so not familar with what to do, But appreciate your help.
I don’t understand this question.
Work study is a Federal program that provides federal funds towards a part-time job on campus. If your son is not a citizen, he would not qualify for work-study funding. I don’t understand how you are thinking that using a scholarship to fund a funded program would would work. You wont need work study funding if you already have a scholarship to cover costs.
It’s possible that the OP is asking whether the scholarships can be applied to the student self-help part of the award (summer earnings, etc). And the answer is generally yes – the colleges will apply the scholarship money to reducing the student self-help portion & loans before reducing the college grant. But each college is different – so useful to check with each one.
@“aunt bea” not sure if relevant but green card holders also qualify.
Congrats! Your son has some amazing acceptances. HYP has the most generous FA compared to other ivies. Penn M&T is a great program.
He should plan to attend admitted student days at these schools and make his decision.
You can reach out to Penn FA and ask for re-evaluation, based on other Ivies pkg. They will not consider the merit scholarship at T20 school.
@Auntbea Forgive me not being a native born and English as a second language, sometime I am not very articulate. Son is a usa green card holder. His Harvard financial aid document ask student term time work 3000 and student summer work expectation.1600 and $$$$ from student contribution from Assests.
Parent contribution is one we gave to pay. We will use the scholarships that will be paid annualy towards student summer work expectations and student term time work.
@skieurope thanks to weblinks. I appreciate your help