<p>A better way to frame the financial aid discussion going forward is to provide some context with your response. Comparison data on competing aid offers is more readily available from the parents of incoming freshman, who, just a few short months ago, weighed multiple offers. With all due respect to the recent posters who expressed a relative satisfaction with UR aid, what does it mean to be “happy” with an aid package, unless you provide a current or historical comparative context to other aid offers? One can make a consumer purchase at Store A with confidence, with the belief that the sales price is competitive & compelling. If Store B and Store C offer a similar quality product at a lower price, but are unvisited, the relative value of the Store A offer is suspect. Also, as I’d speculated on my original posting, the satisfaction of the UR aid offer will vary with the relative financial strength of family income and assets. If any future posters feel so inclined, feel free to include context on whether you fall into Bucket A (family income <#100K) or bucket B (income >$100K). Heck…this is an anonymous forum for most participants, or so I would hope!</p>
<p>Full disclosure…we fall into Bucket B, with a family gross income of around $135K. Our assets are typical of that income range, with no unusual issues, etc.</p>
<p>Lastly, in the remote chance that anyone reading this posting also applied and was awarded an aid package from Vanderbilt University, I’m curious as to the variance between UR & Vanderbilt aid awards. The online Net Price Calculator formula showed a surprising Vanderbilt total when I looked at it.</p>