So I just got accepted into Mount Holyoke which I’m ecstatic about, it’s my top school along with Bryn Mawr. But my financial aid award is approx. $12k less than my NPC estimate. I have an appointment scheduled for tomorrow morning with my financial aid advisor, but I was wondering if anyone has advice for me, specifically about steps to take or things to mention in the meeting?
I (edit: and my parent) double-checked my CSS profile and everything’s correct. I feel like my strongest piece of evidence here is the massive gap between the NPC estimate and my actual award; the deciding factor of whether I should apply was cost, and as it seemed doable (not debt-free, of course) I applied. I really, really want to attend, but there’s quite literally no way I could with my current award.
Thank you in advance! : )
Are you able to print out the NPC results…and are you sure they are accurate? If so, take that with you too.
Your parents need to check, not you.
It’s an IDOC school meaning you had to send in documentation like tax forms and more. Perhaps they didn’t match the CSS.
I think the first thing you need to do is understand, as you said, the delta to the NPC.
And then go from there.
But your parents should be involved. They are paying and they understand things like their home equity.
In the meantime, you need to ensure you have an affordable opportunity. If you don’t, we can help you quickly find one.
Should’ve clarified, I checked the CSS with my dad. He pulled up his tax returns and we cross referenced the answers.
No home equity, we rent.
Luckily I have affordable options, I’d just like to try and make this school an option too.
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I’m sure they’re accurate, I ran it again just now, double checking the answers against my dad’s taxes, and got the exact same numbers. I haven’t printed the results out but I had them emailed to me, screenshotted them, and saved the link to my results.
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Ok / he should still be on. He is paying.
There will be a reason. From there you can decide how to tackle.
Best of luck.
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Is there non-W2 income? An unusual amount of deductions- charitable, medical, home office, use of a car for business? A K-1 for a partnership? These are all things that can get glitchy…
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No non-W2 income. There’s a standard deduction of 20k, but I don’t know if that’s unusual for someone filing as head of household. My dad’s not involved in any businesses so nothing related to those kinds of taxes.
Are your parents married? And living together?
If so…it’s possible “head of household” isn’t the right tax filing status. Your parent would need to check to see if that is the correct one.
ETA…I am not a tax expert!
No, my parents are divorced and I have no contact with my mom. I filed a noncustodial parent waiver so that they wouldn’t ask for my mom’s financials and it was approved.
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Another issue…does the NPC ask if your parents are married or not? In my experience, the net price calculators are sometimes not accurate for students with divorced parents.
Regardless…take all that you have with you. And simply ask…why is the actual net cost this much different than what the NPC says.
They should be able to explain…or adjust.
MHC’s net price calculator says that, for divorced families, both parents should fill the calculator out separately and add their results together. As I had my mom’s contribution waived, my understanding is that it should be accurate since I filled it out with only my dad’s info and denoted that my parents are both divorced and live separately.
I hope they can help : ( I’m going to make it clear that I really, really want to attend but I just can’t afford it.
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The good news is - if it doesn’t happen for you, have no fear.
There are likely many colleges out there where you’d be happy…MHC is great but certainly not the only that you could love.
Best of luck.
When you talk to them, ask why the aid package differs from the NPC. Don’t accept a vague answer - find out exactly what information they used to determine that your family contribution should be increased beyond the number determined by the NPC. Feel free to tell them that the $12,000 is a huge deal for you - let them know that you would be able to attend if the aid had been as expected, but you have other options that are within your budget if you are unable to have an adjustment for your aid. Let them know that they are your first choice, but also let them know that finances are a major consideration for you.
Hopefully it will work out in your favor. Let us know!
P.S. Both of my kids had to turn down their #1 choice because the aid didn’t work out. Both ended up just fine, and now years after graduation they don’t regret their choice.
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I really appreciate this. I actually had a meeting with my financial aid advisor this morning, but I did what you suggested. My FAA is going to reach out to admissions and ask about increasing my merit aid, which she said would likely be more possible than increasing need-based as I received more merit from a peer institution and thus there’s a precedent.
I’d like to at least try and make MHC possible, but I do have an affordable acceptance from a school I really like (thanks, St. Olaf!). I’m also waiting on Bryn Mawr, my #1. So no matter what happens, I’ll be able to attend an affordable school that I love. Who knew that applying to college would test my bartering skills, lol!
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I would love to know how this works out @squidink ! We are in the same situation with one CSS school giving us more need-based aid than another CSS school which is our first choice. My daughter has written an appeal but perhaps we should ask for a meeting too?
Hi! I got my decision back this morning actually, and they’re not going to budge 
I’d recommend setting up a meeting regardless, it allowed me to ask all my questions at once instead of waiting for answers to emails and appeals. I hope it goes well for you guys!
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What reason did they give you for the difference between the NPC and the actual aid package?
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I didn’t get an answer for that which was kind of weird to me. I asked a few times and my FA counselor sort of ignored the question. I’m not great at being direct so that didn’t help, but I really do want to know.
You can send a follow up, thanking them for the meeting, noting the price that comes from the NPC, the differential and ask why. I would addendum below all your inputs so they can use the same data.
Were your parents on the call ? They are paying. They should be there to interject or lead as needed.
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