<p>I am confused by this. While a $1k increase is largish, an extra $4k in loans over the life of an undergraduate education valued at close to $200k is not that big…</p>
<p>That having been said, ALL rice students on any sort of need-based aid are at the mercy of the aid office; we all have to have faith in their integrity. FA is recalculated every year and no one can be “guaranteed that aid will stay the same”. Without seeing soulside parents’ tax returns from 2007 (submitted for the preliminary award letter) and the tax returns for 2008 (for the final award), there is no way anyone can judge/comment about the fairness of this case.</p>