<p>Hi there! I’m a mom of a very happily accepted Yale class of 2018… Thursday afternoon was a crazy one in our home as he opened his decisions…Yale, Columbia, Penn, Cornell, Brown, Duke, Rice and a few great publics!!! would never have imagined sitting in this position and my son’s heart is with Yale. Yesterday the amazing feeling started to fade as we realize we can’t afford the school:(( $40K a year is absolutely insane for us to afford…I will call the FA office next week and see what can we do, but this is double of what we can pay. Any advise out there of people that encountered my situation and what was your outcome? Thanks</p>
<p>Do you have more generous FA offers from any of those other schools? If so, call the FA office and request a review, and mention the other offers. There’s no guarantee they will increase the offer or match, but there’s no harm in asking either.</p>
<p>@entomom, yes Columbia is giving us the best so far. I’ll call next week and see what can be done for a review</p>
<p>I am so surprised that I keep hearing about Yale’s lack of financial support. Definitely call and negotiate. </p>
<p>how much was your EFC? You might be falling in that gray area…of “middle class”…What yale thinks you should be able to afford, vs what parents are willing to pay (without draining their life savings)…some colleges might have better parental loan options…I know Princeton does. Not sure about yale or other ivy leagues…</p>
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<p>But never use the word negotiate. Review, reassess, etc.</p>
<p>If you do call and negotiate, please be clear. We called and negotiated for them to match Harvard’s FA which was less than half, they did match for Freshman year but Sophomore year we were back at normal rates, tell them that you expect it for all 4 if your financial situation does not change!</p>
<p>Im honestly really surprised that so many people are having issues. Harvard literally gave me less than yale. it’s case by case, I suppose…</p>
<p>@MikeNY5: Our family has had a similar experience. Our daughter’s tuition at Harvard has always been about 6-7K higher per year than my son’s at Yale – even though both schools are looking at the same data. But, it does vary from case-to-case.</p>
<p>I agree with @EAO1227. If Yale (or any college) agrees to re-evaluate their aid after being presented with another school’s more competitive offer, you need to ask for a “side letter” which states that if your family’s income remains about the same, that your student will receive the same percentage of financial aid in their sophomore, junior and senior years as they are getting in their freshman year. Without that letter, you’re not guaranteed to get the “better deal” in subsequent years. </p>