<p>I told MIT I can afford 20,000 dollars a year, but 15,000 dollars are from a sponsor who is my relative.</p>
<p>But now she has changed her mind, and I may only get 5,000 from her. But I have already mailed out the FA application!</p>
<p>Is it ok to make change now? will they feel unhappy? I think it will be ok, since MIT is need-blind~</p>
<p>I seriously want to join MIT, you can learn from my name~~~~</p>
<p>PS: I am an international student.</p>
<p>You could either send an update now (which wouldn’t affect your odds of admission; as you said, MIT is need-blind) or wait until after the results come out. When the financial aid office sends you your financial aid package, you can talk to them about your situation. They’re generally very good about adjusting your aid.</p>
<p>How close a relative is “relative?” If they are not in your immediate family (not your parents), I believe you can just tell them to keep the money.</p>
<p>Your aid (so far as I know) is determined by what your immediate family (mother and father) can afford. You will pay what you can, your parents will pay what they can, and then MIT will give you the rest in the form of grants and loans.</p>
<p>In essence, every dollar you get from the outside will go against this aid you receive. The director of financial aid made a barrel analogy about this on his blog some time back, which you can find [url="<a href="http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/finaid/financial_aid/myth_5_the_more_i_get_in_schol.shtml"]here[/url">http://www.mitadmissions.org/topics/finaid/financial_aid/myth_5_the_more_i_get_in_schol.shtml"]here[/url</a>]. If your expected family contribution is $5,000, you get a $34,500 grant and $5500 in loans (all numbers are ballparked and highly unofficial). If your relative gives you money, it counts towards either your/your family’s income, and your expected family contribution becomes that $20,000. You will then only get $19,500 in aid and then $5500 in loans.</p>
<p>Bottom line is: pay what you can afford, take out some loans, MIT will pay the rest. Don’t become indebted to extended relatives over paying for MIT…</p>
<p>If anything I’ve said is wrong, someone please correct me and/or delete this post. This is just my simple understanding.</p>
<p>EDIT: On a side note, MIT makes it easy to appeal your aid statement and has no qualms about helping you get the money you need/deserve. They’ve managed to put up with my incredible blunders, I have faith that they’ll be able to help you out, too. :)</p>
<p>Olo,</p>
<p>Much of what you say is correct. One error is a completed gift of cash from a relative would be considered an asset not income. There is a large difference in EFC from assets (5.6%) vs. income (20-47+%). A family would lose a modest amount of FA due to a completed gift made before FA forms are filled out but not a huge amount.</p>
<p>thanks for all…</p>