thanks. my main problem is that they told me prior in an email that their npc is accurate for my context. That is why I applied ED.
Here is a list of the financial aid counselor names. I suggest that you try to make an appointment with one of them for a phone or video appointment. You should include one of your parents on the call as well, if you think that will help. Although it is usually recommended that students handle communications with colleges, that is not true for financial aid and the financial aid department is fine talking to parents .
Did you mean to include a list of names?
Yup! Paste wasnāt working.
Here it is:
2 Likes
Itās possible that there are some allowances that are built into the formula used in the NPC that are based on living in the U.S. if a student indicates that they are a U.S. citizen ā¦ but when the formula is applied to this studentās actual situation of living in India, it might change the results in a way that is negative for the student.
Deleted
Iām no financial aid expert but these results are surprising to me since Rollins is need aware. However they use a Non-resident financial aid application rather than the CSS so perhaps their calculation of need is different. Regardless this shows they really want you! 
Rollins is a good school. It may not have the name recognition you prefer, but you will get a solid education and I expect a lot of support as a top student on campus. As an aside, I think the campus is absolutely beautiful, even though itās not the stereotypical Gothic architecture of an Ivy-type.
Hopefully it works out with NU, but at least you have a good US option already. And you may have more by the spring.
5 Likes
Nothing other than to email asking for a detailed explanation of the difference between the NPC results and the aid package. Once that is received, I would suggest that the student post the explanation they were given here so that we can give feedback. In the end, itās possible nothing will change, but the explanation can be used to back out of the ED commitment.
4 Likes
First mail:
Thank you for your email and congratulations on your admission! Northwestern awards financial aid on the basis of financial need only, as demonstrated on the financial aid applications. We are only able to review a studentās financial aid award based on a documented change in financial circumstances, such as a job loss, extreme medical expenses, or other documented circumstances. We also require the most recent tax year documentation, including the Federal tax return and W2s, to be available as part of the review process. The Net Price Calculator is an estimator tool, therefore the estimate may not be aligned with the actual review. Our review was based on the careful and thorough review of your submitted financial aid materials such as the CSS profile and tax documents.
If your family has experienced such a circumstance, please reply to this email with more information so that we may review and let you know of the next steps.
Second mail:
You are more than welcome to review the information you submitted on your CSS profile. Rest assured your documentation and information were carefully processed and reviewed. If you do not find any errors on the CSS profile then you are welcome to submit your parentās most recent tax returns to get a re-evaluation.
Thanks,
Also, this is how they informed me their npc is accurate:
Thank you for contacting the Office of Undergraduate Aid and for your interest in Northwestern University! As long as you converted the currency correctly, the estimate should be accurate.
Thanks,
These are automatic emails, and they are not answering your question. You need to explain that you are requesting an explanation of the difference between your aid package and the NPC. Tell them that you expected an aid package in line with the NPC, which is why you applied ED. You want to understand why the two are so far apart. Keep pushing until you get an explanation.
1 Like
I will update the new email I am sending with that information
No, unfortunately not. They determine what a family should be able to afford based on their income and assets (which includes a second home, stocks in non-retirement accounts, etc). Then, if a family needs to take on debt to meet their portion of the cost, the university will not take additional steps to help the family avoid that because, in their view, you do have options to avoid debt like selling the second home.
6 Likes
That is fine, but for me the problem is if I had known this when applying, I would not have applied in the first case. Also, the second home is not worth enough to meet 1 year of cost of attendance
1 Like
It may not meet one year cost but it may mean part of a year.
You not knowing this is not their issue.
I agree, NPCs should be accurate - but if the school isnāt cost effective, then withdraw your ED and move on (after you confirm).
Iām guessing, given your cost at Rollins, you got stackable need and merit aid.
1 Like
Are your parents U.S. citizens also? Or are you using some kind of tax return from India?
no we are submitting indian tax returns
yep, good merit and financial aid at Rollins.
Iām going to take a guess. I think there is something lost on the translation from the Indian tax return, and the info needed on the CSS Profileā¦and even FAFSA.
@kelsmom how are Indian tax returns conveyed to colleges for FAFSA purposes?
1 Like
The parents have to submit their returns in IDOC, although I am not familiar with returns from India. Some countries have tax systems that more or less align with our system (for example, Canada), while others donāt have formal tax returns that resemble our system. In those cases, itās not really all that simple for a family to know what information is actually being requested. So itās very possible that whatever the student entered into the NPC was not actually the correct information - but the school would see the information in IDOC & make any necessary changes. This may explain the difference. Any changes made by the school will be documented in their system, and they should be able to look at the file and explain it to the student.
1 Like