Disappointed with first financial aid package - will all colleges offer similarly low amounts?

No, financial aid packages can vary DRASTICALLY between schools! Each institution has their own formula for calculating institutional aid on top of federal aid. Some schools are extremely generous with merit scholarships and need-based grants, while others are notorious for offering little beyond the basic federal aid. A few things to consider: 1. Did you complete any supplemental financial aid forms? Many private colleges require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. 2. This is just your first offer - you can appeal it! Contact the financial aid office and ask for a professional judgment review, especially if you have any special circumstances. 3. Look at schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need - they tend to offer the most generous packages. 4. Don't assume your SAI equals your expected contribution. Schools interpret this differently.

speaking from experience, my kid got 6 COMPLETELY different aid packages from 6 schools. one offered barely anything (like yours) but another covered almost 80% of cost!!! colleges have their own money they can give out however they want. the fafsa just tells them what the govt thinks you can pay

Financial aid counselor here. What you're experiencing is very common, especially with the first offer. Your SAI is just one factor schools consider. Many schools practice what's called "preferential packaging" - they offer their best aid packages to students they most want to attract. A few points of clarification: - The $14,800 SAI doesn't guarantee any specific amount of institutional aid - Schools with large endowments typically offer more generous packages - Some schools front-load offers (more generous freshman year, less later) - Your daughter's major may impact aid (some programs get more funding) I would recommend: 1. Wait for all offers to come in before making decisions 2. Compare the net price at each school, not just the sticker price 3. Prepare to appeal with a polite letter explaining why you need additional consideration 4. Look at each school's Common Data Set (Google the school name + "Common Data Set") to see their typical aid packages

Absolutely! Mentioning competing offers is a standard practice in appeals. Many schools will match or at least improve their offer if you have a better package from a peer institution. Be polite but direct - "We've received a more generous offer from X University, but our daughter prefers your school. Is there any way you could reconsider your offer to make it more comparable?" Make sure to submit a formal appeal letter with documentation of the competing offer. Most schools have a specific appeal form or process.

I spent HOURS trying to reach someone at our financial aid office to appeal our pathetic offer. Kept getting voicemail or disconnected. Finally used Claimyr to get through to a human at the Federal Student Aid office (claimyr.com) and got some clarity on our SAI calculation, which helped with our appeal. There's a video showing how it works here: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ The FSA agent explained that while they calculate the SAI, they don't control how schools use it for institutional aid. But understanding exactly how our numbers were calculated gave us ammo for the appeal process. Our daughter ended up with a $7k increase in her grant after we talked to the school with this info.

The whole financial aid system is RIGGED!!! Don't let anyone tell you different. Schools advertise all these amazing aid packages on their websites but then when it actually comes time to give out money, they suddenly don't have enough. My son had the same issue - 4.0 GPA, tons of extracurriculars, and the "generous" school gave him a package that would still leave us $30K in debt EVERY YEAR! It's criminal what they're doing to families.

One thing to consider is that some schools intentionally offer less competitive packages to students they consider "likely to enroll" regardless of aid. If your daughter showed a lot of interest (multiple visits, early application, lots of contact with admissions), sometimes schools will offer less because they think you'll come anyway. This is why it's important to apply to schools that are known for generous aid. Some colleges meet 100% of demonstrated need, while others might only meet 60-70%. The difference is enormous. Don't get discouraged yet - wait for all offers to come in. And definitely plan to appeal once you have competing offers to leverage!

My daughter went through this last year and we were just as shocked with her first offer! But don't panic - her last offer ended up being the best by far (nearly double the grant money of the first school). Sometimes the timing is just based on when each financial aid office processes applications.

Two were naturally good offers, but we did appeal at her top choice. They increased her package by about $5K per year after we showed them the better offer from their competitor. It was a pretty straightforward process - just a letter and a copy of the competing financial aid award letter.

also!!! dont 4get to look at outside scholarships!!!! my daughters rotary club gave her $2500 and she got another $1800 from our insurance company of all places. every little bit helps when colleges r being stingy

Thank you all for the great advice and encouragement! We're going to wait for all the offers to come in and then start the appeal process with her top choices. I feel much better knowing this first offer isn't necessarily what we'll have to accept. Will update when we hear from the other schools!

Just wanted to add another perspective as someone who went through this process with twins last year! Your experience is unfortunately very typical for that first offer. What really helped us was creating a spreadsheet to track not just the grant amounts, but the NET COST after all aid for each school. Some schools with higher sticker prices ended up being cheaper than "affordable" state schools after aid. Also, timing matters - we noticed schools that released decisions later in the cycle often had more competitive packages, possibly because they could see what other schools were offering. Don't be afraid to ask the financial aid office directly: "What would it take for my daughter to receive additional aid?" Sometimes they'll tell you exactly what documentation or circumstances would help your case. One last tip: if your daughter has any unique talents, achievements, or circumstances that weren't fully captured in the original application, mention those in your appeal. Schools sometimes have small pots of money for specific situations that aren't part of their standard formula. Good luck - the process is stressful but it often works out better than that first disappointing offer suggests!