<p>TS, no doubt this is frustrating for you. To echo what others have said, Carleton won’t match another schools offer with merit aid in any meaningful way. They run their financial aid differently than other schools. Whether good or bad this was very appealing to me when I choose to attend Carleton. There were no “special” students on merit scholarships like there might be at a major public or other private schools.</p>
<p>It seems that your major concern is your family’s finances changed between applying and getting an acceptance. Definitely bring this up with Carleton’s financial aid, yet you should tread lightly. Unfortunately, Carleton is not “need blind”. I’ve never heard of Carleton’s financial aid being unreasonable, but since they’ve stated that they are not “needs blind” they don’t necessarily have to meet your change in need if you applied with one stated need and immediately have more need when accepted. I’d emphasize that your family’s change in need was beyond your family’s control. Emphasize a job loss (layoff) rather than a parent voluntarily taking a lower paying job.</p>
<p>With all of this being said, I’ve never felt good about Carleton taking need into consideration when making admission decisions…even if it is for only a handful of the admitted decisions. Nor have I felt good about Carleton’s rising tuition even if it is accompanied by far more needs-based aid. This way of charging tuition can put a lot of stress on a family right on the edge of being middle class and upper middle class. </p>
<p>In Carleton’s defense, there is a a economic reality they need to take into consideration. Carleton doesn’t have the endowment that other similarly ranked schools have and every alumni, faculty and student wants Carleton to remain competitive. I once had a conversation with a faculty from Harvard. He was telling me that there was a serious conversation at Harvard about not charging tuition because their endowment was so huge. This is not Carleton’s reality.</p>
<p>Choosing Grinnell at half the price of Carleton is a very reasonable choice.</p>