financial aid - Page 2

karagon7 · 04-09-2008, 03:56 PM

My son got a full ride from Rice that he will be turning down to attend UCLA. He is so thankfull that they "believed in him" and very sad about declining their offer, but he is in love with UCLA. (It hurts us too, since we will now have to pay

) Hopefully, this will free up some extra $$$ for those of you needing more aid. Good luck to you all.

yupaws · 04-11-2008, 07:48 PM

for all you people that have called/emailed the finaid office, have they responded at all? I've left msg/emailed and it's been a week = no response...

pedrossi · 04-11-2008, 08:38 PM

About contacting the FinAid office, it's best to call them during the day, they are very friendly and will answer right away.

stevedad · 04-11-2008, 09:06 PM

I agree that they seem friendly enough. We've received appropriate responses so far with respect to appeal of son's FA.

I called during business hours, then (in response to suggestions) sent an email with extensive attachments to the lady I spoke to. She acknowledged receipt and indicated that they would review the matter.

You might want to give a call and/or another email.

yupaws · 04-11-2008, 09:29 PM

I called today, got answering machine. Sent an email with no response. I might just have been unlucky. What are the hours on the finaid dept--i assume they're not open on weekends. But 9-5 central time then?

pedrossi · 04-12-2008, 11:42 AM

I've always snuck out of classes at school to call them and they've always answered, so yeah sometime before 5 should be good.

yupaws · 04-14-2008, 12:22 AM

So, I guess this is more directed towards current students--
Do students often (ever?) end up leaving Rice after 1-2-3 years because of aid issues? My parents essentially don't care where I go to college as long as it doesn't cost them much, and if my aid changes, they will pretty much make me transfer. Have you seen this actually happen--that the Rice finaid wasn't able to work with people and they got financially kicked out?

Also, do they reconsider merit aid every year depending on your performance at Rice--can you qualify for it sophomore year if you didn't from admissions?

Corbusi8 · 04-14-2008, 06:46 PM

Well, I must say... this thread seems rather discouraging. I had no idea the scope of Rice's merit initiative (amazingly SMALL) and didn't think my family should bother applying for aid. Now I'm in, it's my #1 choice, and I have nothing. We have just applied for aid and hopefully we will hear something before May 1.

My question starts as a sort of rant... Several of my high-achieving friends w/ stats lower than mine were accepted to nice private schools (Tiers 1-3) and were offered SUBSTANTIAL merit aid. (i.e., half tution or even full rides) This strikes me as being odd, given that Rice's endowment is a MULTIPLE of those at other schools... Does this bother anyone else???

I don't mean to complain or come down on Rice (I love this school!) since I am in a great position having merely been accepted. However, these numbers just don't seem reasonable.... Maybe light can be shed on these matters...

Dorian_Mode · 04-14-2008, 07:26 PM

Well, Corbusi, you have to consider the fact that many of Rice's "peer" institutions do not offer merit aid at all. It has nothing to do with endowment, it's the fact that schools on this level usually don't need much in the way of merit aid to entice prospective students.

anxiousmom · 04-14-2008, 09:00 PM

Quote:

Do students often (ever?) end up leaving Rice after 1-2-3 years because of aid issues?

Often? No. If you look at the graduation rates, you see that few students leave Rice. (Of course, there will always be some students who decide they aren't ready for college, or have medical issues, or find that they are too far from home and want to be closer, or don't study enough.... but the graduation rate is high and the leaving rate is low.) We have had 4 years of financial aid at Rice, and it has stayed the same level all 4 years. No bad surprises. As our income rose, our EFC increased, but reasonably. Student loans are capped, so no surprises there for DS's financial aid package, either. Also, DD has been able to earn decent money working a non-workstudy campus job, plus extra $ tutoring, and received a fellowship her senior year which provided still more funds. We've felt very fairly treated by Rice financial aid.

P's Mom · 04-16-2008, 03:58 PM

karagon 7, I didn't think Rice gave out full rides...

anxiousmom · 04-16-2008, 05:31 PM

I think Rice has some engineering scholarships that are full-rides. My guess is that they are from earmarked endowment funds.

pedrossi · 04-16-2008, 09:30 PM

And what if someone's EFC is 0? Since Rice is need-blind and meets full need, wouldn't they give out a free ride in that case?

P's Mom · 04-16-2008, 09:37 PM

Right--I was thinking scholarships.

stevedad · 04-16-2008, 10:30 PM

And what if someone's EFC is 0? Since Rice is need-blind and meets full need, wouldn't they give out a free ride in that case?

Not necessarily. EFC is a FAFSA concept. Rice is a CSS Profile school. Thus, it will meet 100% of need as determined under its own formula. That won't necessarily match what other schools deem to be 100% of need. (Not really dissing Rice--we've just found with both s1 and s2 that different schools meeting 100% of need won't necessarily come up with the same definition of need.)