<p>sandkmom: Yes people hide assets. Honest people get punished. There is no perfect system, but it would sure be helpful if fordham pledged to meet at least 75% of the need of EVERY student who files a FAFSA. Fordham ranks very low in meeting student financial need, which is monitored by outside organizations. Princeton Review gives Fordham a VERY low grade on financial assistance. </p>
<p>Meanwhile Fordham tuition has risen from the high 20’s to the high 30’s in 5 years. that is 10,000 a year, times four years that is an extra 40,000 to attend Fordham and the programs havent changed that much in 5 years. </p>
<p>I know many students who turned down Fordham’s offer of admission because their financial aid package was awful. Then you hear about kids with a 1390 SAT on at least a half ride, and some of them had mediocre grades in high school? Its discouraging. </p>
<p>To be fair, Fordham is not alone in this category. But I do know about some schools which are extremely generous with a much smaller endowment. And to people who suggest, “well go to that other school then” are missing the point. </p>
<p>Frankly its a national scandal. Financial aid is a game and the FAFSA is next to useless. When you see kids at Fordham with a TON OF STUDENT LOANS (too much in my opinion) but who are wonderful students with a high cumulative gpa, and then see kids on scholarship whose families are rolling in money its very discouraging. All because of an SAT score difference of what? 60 or 75 points? Puhleeze. </p>
<p>I am not suggesting we have the money like Harvard or Yale…billions in endowment. And appropriate financial stewardship is a duty of the Board. Can’t give it all away, even to worthy students. But really, I think they need to examine why the results are so fickle and arbitrary. In some cases, it depends on what high school you attended.</p>