Completely clueless about financial aid

sw_haldar01
Wed, 16 Apr 2008 22:36:11 +0000

Up until now, I only concentrated on getting into college. Now, I’m stuck in the middle of choosing a school and am wondering if someone who knows more about financial aid could possibly help me with a conflict.

I’m getting $27,000 in grant money from one of my top choices and $22,000 from the other top choice (for the 2008-2009 school year). I want to know if the disparity between these amounts is substantial enough to be a major factor in my decision.

If I go to the school offering $22,000, I’ve been told (by admittedly dubious sources) that my total student debt after leaving college could be up to $50,000. I’m wondering if this is a very unusually high or unmanageable amount for someone graduating from an Ivy League or other prestigious school, given an upper-middle class economic situation.