Does BU give a lot of financial aid?

Shazilla · 05-08-2006, 09:52 PM

Someone was telling me about how there family was bankrupt and BU only offered them 7k in grants and told them to take the rest out in loans... it's kind of hard to get loans when you're family is bankrupt. But I've also heard people getting tons of grants for around 30K/year and stuff like that and princetonreview.com has their financial aid rating pretty high compared to most other schools.

So, my question is how much do they usually give in financial aid? financial aid is a huge concern for me especially since BU's tuition alone is more than the combined income of my parents...

05-08-2006, 10:08 PM

I wouldn't really worry about it.. Although it IS an expensive school, I for one received a very generous grant that covered most, if not just about everything

WaterBuoy · 05-09-2006, 06:46 PM

I don't know if I agree. I also received a very generous grant but many people (especially on these boards) haven't had such luck. Be weary and keep your options open... you never know unless you try. I think I read somewhere on these boards that BU students "either love or hate their financial aid package." I'd look into those scholarships you can apply for before your financial aid package comes (both for BU such as the MLK one and those from oustide sources) and just do your best and be practical. Good luck!

peggyyy · 05-09-2006, 07:11 PM

uh...
it was weird
with BU this year, they either screwed people over or made them extremely happy
with me, I would get around 30k of financial aid from the other schools and got 3k in loans from BU
always have a backup and go practical
especially if u still need to go to grad school

Slwlisuffocating · 05-10-2006, 04:18 AM

My family filed bankruptcy a few years back. Just to say, I dunno about your friend, but the bankruptcy hasn't done much to our lives, except my mother can't own credit cards anymore or take any loans under her name.

BU gave me a heckofalot of money (30+ grand in grants), so the bankruptcy thing, I don't think that was the only factor. It also depends on how much your parents might make. I know we make a small amount and thats what banked me the money I assume.

xcgirll · 07-04-2011, 11:23 PM

does having a little bit better than the average grades and scores for BU help in getting aid?

shaedow · 07-05-2011, 12:18 AM

xcgirll, that's exactly what helps the most. BU is actually fairly generous, or at least they want to be. They just don't have the money to actually meet the financial needs they calculate of every student they accept/that enrolls. So, instead of randomly determining which students to meet 100% of their need, they offer more to above average students, sort of in lieu of scholarships. (They still have scholarships, but less than most schools I think, and some are designated only for those not eligible for grants)

If your stats are about their average or below, they probably won't give you a ton of grants, even if you need it and get in, unfortunately. Personally, their financial aid was pretty damn good for me, but my SAT/ACT, gpa, etc is a bit above their average.

Boston University - Office of Financial Assistance - Applying for Financial Aid this is a chart, that gives estimates of aid, based on income and SAT and class rank. It's not a definite prediction at all though, and plenty of people have gotten packages that contradict the chart I'm sure.

xcgirll · 07-05-2011, 11:44 AM

Thanks for the awesome answer. If I apply early decision, will it make any difference?