<p>I would agree that talking to a financial aid officer at your school would be the way to go. They should be able to answer your questions. It is very possible that your family has gone above some “income threshold” for certain need based aid at your school. </p>
<p>An explanation of your income increase and a question as to why the financial aid has decreased so much is not asking too much.</p>
<p>P.S. there is a “need calculator” on the JHU finaid website. Plug in your new numbers and see if you get the same information they have given you.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>
<p>@Rockvillemom</p>
<p>That’s a good idea. I took a look at the FA calculator and played around with the numbers a bit, and it looks like the numbers work out just right if JHU did not account for the extra sibling. Here I get ~$12k with the incorrect FAFSA numbers (which would explain $24k with no siblings) and if I provide the correct FAFSA numbers (with properly adjusted gross income) then it goes down to $9k, which is definitely an amount we can and would be glad to pay.</p>
<p>I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking that the system oddly deteriorates itself from the inside out. And I didn’t even realize the bit about higher taxable income – you’re right, this is a really bad deal for the family trying to afford college.</p>
<p>@thumper, got me while I was typing a response. Yeah, I’m sending up follow-up emails to our financial aid office, and the financial aid calculator should be heavy leverage for me to put things right.</p>
<p>I see a ray of light at the end of this tunnel :)</p>
<p>Edit:
I didn’t even realize cpt posted! Too many people are following this thread of mine now…</p>
<p>Yeah, I hear tuition will be going up a few percentage notches in the following years, but nothing so drastic as to triple the EFC in the course of a year, in my opinion. I do think that things will work out, that there was a mistake somewhere, and that schools aren’t expecting this particular family to pay $48k for two kids going to school. </p>
<p>The part about financial aid officers having a bit of leeway is a godsend. If they’re willing to be flexible with me, I wouldn’t ask for any more than that. To be honest, if JHU stuck with UCH’s policy, I wouldn’t mind that all! But I can definitely see how that may be troublesome for families who meet with unexpected hard times…</p>
<p>Hope it works out for you - I know how stressful these situations can be.</p>
<p>I’m joining the conversation after a lot of back and forth and would like to make a comment upon how fin aid creates incentives for recipients to take or refrain from certain actions. The biggest incentive I have as the parent of two in college receiving fin aid is to live frugally. It’s not always easy, particularly in parts of the country where housing is expensive. But it’s the only way I know of to legally beat the system.</p>
<p>I hope that the school does adjust your aid. fingers crossed!</p>
<p>*this isn’t a school that promises to meet, unfortunately. My mom does not work and devotes most of her time to religious work. *</p>
<p>Since this school doesn’t promise to meet need, then EFC can become rather meaningless. At any point, this school can decrease your institutional aid…even if there’s no change in income at all. </p>
<p>Frankly, it’s very scary to go to a pricey school that doesn’t meet need, when a family can’t pay a lot …and…when another child will be going to college. </p>
<p>While I admire your mom’s efforts, she may need to earn some money to help her family at this time…at least until you’re thru college.</p>
<p>So in the end, my father has no option to improve our current standard of living? And we have to join the ranks of those who manipulate the system at the cost of others?</p>
<hr>
<p>What you seem to want is for the school to manipulate the system for you so that you don’t have to do it. Just saying …</p>
<p>You state that the school wants you to pay 3 times as much this year. What you do not tell us is how much your FAFSA EFC changed this year compared to last. I realize that JHU probably uses the Profile, but the FAFSA EFC can give us a decent idea of the change in EFC from last year to this year. What was last year’s EFC? What is this year’s EFC? If the EFC went way up, more is at play than just an extra $10,000.</p>
<p>If a school does not meet need, what you are asked to pay from one year to the next can & does vary widely. A number of schools give freshmen more grant money than they give returning students. This can result in the family being expected to pay more in subsequent years even if the EFC stayed the same or was reduced. </p>
<p>Only the school can answer your questions. Rather than complain while you are waiting for an answer, give them some time to reply & see what they have to say. I know someone who works in finaid at JHU, and they do pride themselves on customer service … meaning that you should be able to get the info you need (even if it’s not what you hope to hear).</p>