<p>I got accepted to Cornell University’s Class of 2019, but they didn’t give enough financial aid for me to attend. Can a person be awarded a bigger financial aid award in their second year even if their economic situation doesn’t change? Can you get a merit award? Do you know anyone that has increased their award due to a change in their economic situation? </p>
<p>Most schools will give their most attractive financial aid package by far to students comparing offers.
After that, unless they pledge to meet 100% need, your offer may decline.
Even for schools that do meet need like Cornell, loans or work study mght increase before the grants do.</p>
<p>If your financial situation remains the same, so,will your need based aid. </p>
<p>Why would Cornell give you more need based aid money if your financial need remains the same?</p>
<p>I think there is some magical thinking you are indulging in. You must accept or not based on the current offer.</p>
<p>No, you won’t get more money for the same financial situation.</p>
<p>And, Cornell doesn’t give merit awards.</p>
<p>What is your situation? Cornell ED? How much aid were you given? How much do you need?</p>
<p>Did your family run the NPC before you applied?</p>
<p>edited to add…I see that you’re an international. You’re going to also have to figure in health insurance and int’l travel costs.</p>
<p>Looks like you are an international student too. You posted this same query in four different places.</p>
<p>This must be an ED acceptance to Cornell. If so, you need to understand that Cornell offers need based aid…and if your need does not change, your financial aid won’t go up either. Ever.</p>
<p>You will have to decide if this school is affordable for your family for all four years. If not, decline the ED offer of acceptance.</p>
<p>ETA…read this. It looks like aid to international students is LIMITED. That makes it even more unlikely that you will get increased aid in subsequent years.</p>
<p>From the Cornell website:</p>
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<p>@pauletismoya </p>
<p>What exactly is in your FA pkg?</p>
<p>Is there a parent contribution? how much?</p>
<p>Is there also a student contribution? how much?</p>
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<p>Does your family have assets? a business?</p>
<p>But then…Cornell also,says this…</p>
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<p>This is better posed in the Cornell forum. </p>
<p>In general, needs based FA does not go up. I certainly wouldn’t make long term financial plans on the assumption that it will. If by chance it does, consider it an unanticated bonus.</p>
<p>As a member of the Ivy League, Cornell is forbidden from offering merit aid.</p>
<p>Read this FAQ list. For international,students, financial aid is offered on a limited bases.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/International%20Financial%20Aid%20FAQs_1.pdf”>http://www.finaid.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/International%20Financial%20Aid%20FAQs_1.pdf</a></p>
<p>From what I can determine from the above link, Cornell has limited funding for international students. The school does not guarantee funding of need based aid for all international students who apply for aid with demonstrated need.</p>
<p>I think the OP needs to understand that Cornell never promised to meet her full need.</p>
<p>Yes, I am an international student from Venezuela and I was accepted in ED. </p>
<p>I worked really hard all my life, and specially last year, in order to be accepted in a university like Cornell. Venezuela gives its students barely any tools to succeed in other countries. I took advantage of the few tools I had and made the most of them. And now that I was able to get into my dream college, Financial Aid only gave me US$10,000, of which about 4k are grants. My family makes less than US$12,000 a year because of my country’s economic situation. We cannot legally obtain dollars and I can only count on my family’s savings in US accounts, which is also less than 100k. My family has a few properties but, again, due to Venezuela’s economic situation it is impossible to sell them. We have been selling a property for the last seen years and we still haven’t had any offers. I honestly thought that the financial aid would be better.</p>
<p>Did you not realize that Cornell doesn’t guarantee to meet need for all international students? </p>
<p>I’m sorry for your situation with Cornell. That you got accepted says you are a great student. Perhaps other schools in the regular decision round will be more generous.</p>
<p>You certainly can contact Cornell, and explain your situation, but They might not budge.</p>
<p>Hopefully you have submitted applications to other schools…one perhaps will be more generous than Cornell was.</p>
<p>The other posters here are giving you some tough news but I think it’s better to hear it now than later. I am really sorry that Cornell has turned out to be unaffordable based on the financial package awarded, but as they have told you it’s hard to really increase financial aid if your financial circumstances are the same. Additionally, if your family does have a lot of assets and savings then those will lower your demonstrated need and make it harder to get need-based financial aid even if your family can’t sell them. An appeal might be worth it but I would not rely on that.</p>
<p>As @thumper pointed out a student strong enough to get into Cornell is also competitive to get into schools that do have merit aid opportunities that you will be able to get regardless of your family’s financial circumstances.</p>
<p>And also with stats stron enough for Cornell, another more generous school just might offer admission…and be more generous with aid.</p>
<p>,<<<
Financial Aid only gave me US$10,000, of which about 4k are grants. My family makes less than US$12,000 a year because of my country’s economic situation. We cannot legally obtain dollars and I can only count on my family’s savings in US accounts, which is also less than 100k. </p>
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<p>$4k were grants? what was the other $6k in aid? </p>
<p>Paule…could you please clarify? You mention $100,000 in a U.S. account. is that correct?</p>
<p>The student says that he got $4k in grants, but $10k in FA. What would an int’l get in other aid? </p>
<p>@mom2collegekids the other 6k is constituted by loans and work/study</p>
<p>@thumper1 yes, that amount is correct. However, that is the only money my family has. It is my parents’ retirement savings and my college fund. Venezuela’s current situation is similar to Cuba’s fifty years ago. Everyone is trying to emigrate because of it. For that reason everyone is selling all they have and no one buys anything. My parents are still trying to sell a land lot in Argentina to afford my education but even that money will not be enough to pay for Cornell with that financial aid. </p>
<p>I appealed my financial aid, but they will get back to me in January. I am applying to other colleges but it’s still a shame that I am going to lose this opportunity</p>
<p>??</p>
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@mom2collegekids the other 6k is constituted by loans and work/study</p>
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<p>Are you a US citizen or green card holder? If so, then you’re NOT an international.</p>
<p>@pauletismoya </p>
<p>If you were given loans and work-study, then that suggests that you are a US citizen or green card holder. IF SO, then Cornell has determined that it has MET ALL YOUR NEED. That means that your family’s finances have indicated to Cornell that your family has money/assets to pay for most costs.</p>
<p>You can appeal and ask for more, but likely they’re not going to suddenly go from $4k in grants to $40k+ in grants.</p>
<p>Did you submit FAFSA??</p>
<p>Something doesn’t add up if you’re a citizen or green card holder. You need to look over the FA paperwork your family submitted. Either they have stocks, investments, or unprotected retirement accts, a business, or something…or Cornell made a mistake.</p>