Should I appeal financial aid?

ArtsandLetters
Mon, 20 Apr 2015 22:08:53 +0000

USC doesn’t rely strictly on FAFSA. They look at Need Access or CSS forms which give more detailed information not included on FAFSA. FAFSA most likely used to determine fed loan eligibility

I have a couple of thoughts - I don’t think they ignore middle class families. But I’ll confess to being surprised by size of our required contribution. I think the invention of Parent Plus loans which allow a family to borrow the cost of attendance regardless of ability to pay has changed the climate a bit at a lot o colleges. My daughter’s second choice was similar.

The most coveted programs such as Iovine, Film, etc. have only a few slots and a lot of applicants. So there isn’t a huge incentive for the school to provide a lot of up front support. I’m sure they could fill those slots with full-pays. And USC has always been conservative with aid, outside of the competitive merit scholarships . It’s supply and demand. The supply side is small. The demand side for USC in general and it’s specialized programs specifically is enormous.

I will say were behind our student’s decision to attend 100% after we got over the sticker shock. It’s been a good decision for us. But I know each family will have to make their own decision. Good luck.

Honestly - with so many good offers, you can’t make a bad choice.