<p>before you take the ED plunge, is there a tool that allows you to get a very accurate sense of what the cost would be ? If it is indeed true that NU does not give merit aid - which is what fuels the horse trading aspect of college admissions - then I would think it would be fairly easy to give an accurate statement of the net cost after you feed in your financials, which are objective.</p>
<p>Eh i wouldnt apply to NU for ED… less competition for me…</p>
<p>Thanks for the input, destroyer; maybe my son will play on the same team as you some day.</p>
<p>Anyone: So are there tools that accurately estimate your net cost at NU?</p>
<p>I have had results that were very close to schools kids’ applied to on “College Data” website. You plug in all your information from your tax return etc & you can get a detailed “net cost” to you for each school. It estimates “Unmet Need” for each school. Your estimated “Net Cost” also includes the “Estimated Loans & Work Study” which are added to your estimated EFC. </p>
<p>It is just an estimate that’s all & states which formulas the schools use as well, for financial aid purposes. I did enjoy using this tool when we were in the application process, but it is just an estimate. If you use the “Data Locker” on this site for all schools your S has applied to, your “estimated net cost” shows up for each one. (if you have registered on the site & put in all your numbers.)</p>
<p>thanks. I’ll ck it out and see how it compares to the collegeboard’s to which NU has an explicit link on its website.</p>