@4Hurley - Big fan of Oxford Emory, here, as our nephew will be attending in the fall! Isn’t the campus about 30 miles outside of Atlanta? Can you wait until 3rd and 4th year to get in those patient hours? Although there is a hospital there, in Oxford, GA. Oxford is less than 1,000 students, for those first 2 years, vs 6,000+ at UAH. Does that matter to your D?
This is just food for thought. From what you are saying, it sounds like your D is leaning toward Oxford, so if you can swing the cost to your family, you should just let her choose where she’d be happiest and get the best education. Let her know that taking some loans is the norm for most college students these days. We are keeping ours 2 sons to less than $22,000, which we feel is a reasonable amount, and still far below the avg of $30,000 of most college grads.
Can your D cut down the amount of her loans, with a summer job and work study? Are there any scholarships for which she can apply? She can continue to apply for scholarships throughout college, to help defray some costs.
Lastly, it sounds like she is an excellent candidate for either school. So, have you spoken with the financial aid office at Oxford Emory to to see if they can add a bit more to their fin aid offer? Since many students have probably already accepted or rejected their offer of admission, perhaps some extra $ has opened up? If there is no $ for extra merit aid, is there something in your family finances that did not show up in the FASA or CSS Profile? Did income go down in 2016? Extra medical bills? Other issues that make 2016 different than the 2015 figures used on the financial aid forms? My #1 motto is - “It never hurts to ask!” And schools are used to this type of request. especially from students who REALLY want to attend their school, but it is a bit of a financial stretch. Definitely ask!