Can we attend Rice for free?

reid2575
Mon, 15 Jun 2009 15:05:40 +0000

Actually, Rice is not as free as Harvard, and their policies differ substantially depending on what income bracket you fall into.

Harvard says:
Our most recent program enhancement, announced in December of 2007, has dramatically reduced the amount we expect families to contribute to the cost of their student’s Harvard education. We no longer require students to take out loans, and parents of financial aid recipients are asked to contribute on average from zero to ten percent of their annual income, with no contribution expected for families with incomes of under $60,000. Those parents with annual incomes of between $120,000 and $180,000 are asked to contribute an average ten percent of their income, with a declining percentage — from ten to zero — for parents with annual incomes between $120,000 and $60,000.

My mom has had to contribute >20% of her income to Rice, whereas if I went to Harvard, it would likely be closer to 5%. Also, unless I am misunderstanding, Harvard does not include student loans in the financial aid package for any student, not just those with a parental income of 80K or less.