College Acceptace Fee?

[taximomfor4]

DD is at Community College this year (graduated from high school at 16 so we kept her home for the first year). She applied at a university for next year, though, a few weeks ago. Between being a transferring student and needing financial aid (Pell Grant won't be there for her), her application deadline was end of December. Her transcripts, etc got there very quickly, and even though she was told there'd be no decision till into December, she received her acceptance letter at the end of November.

In that letter, they tell us we have to pay a $100 fee accepting admission. We are crossing our fingers hard, and praying the school will award her some aid. But that info apparently is "to come in a later letter" and NOT any time soon. Her $100 fee, though, is due in like 3 weeks.

Is this the norm? So if we pay that, and the aid they offer is crap, she has to apply other places. Then they, too, will charge the fee? Before we know how much tuition help she will get?

I have ZERO experience with this. She is working hard to save $, but I know she and we can't have enough to pay for everything. If only she'd chosen a career whose degree could be gotten locally.

Can someone walk me through the next steps? Did we do something wrong, or is this how it goes?

 

[golfgal]

That is the norm. Some schools refund that money if you don't attend, others don't. That basically reserves your spot. We had to send $150 for DS's school. Financial aid packages generally don't come until late March/early April unless you are a top student and the school offers merit money-which usually comes with the acceptance letter or shortly there after.

It will be too late to apply to other places if she doesn't get the aid package you want. I would apply NOW to other schools (some schools have closed admissions already-I know our state schools have a deadline next week and after that it is only on an available basis only for acceptance). Applying to one school if you need a lot of aid is very risky--ESPECIALLY a state school as they don't give as much aid as private schools.

 

[punkin]

These fees are usually refundable before May 1. Read the letter carefully. It should spell out the terms. I have never personally seen a nonrefundable fee, but I guess they may be out there.

 

[WDWMom]

In Michigan we have found the norm to be something like this...

You apply to school/s. When you get accepted you have 3 choices

1. Do nothing and decline.
2. Pay an enrollment/acceptance fee that is usually refundable if you decide not to go there by May 1. I think most FA awards are given by then. DD's college was $350. If you decide to go there you do nothing else until they start to send you stuff. This fee holds your place.
3. Pay fee and then decide not to go. You then need to let the school know that you are not attending and ask for your fee back if it is refundable.


I would definitely apply to other schools NOW! I would also ask if the fee is refundable. I would also contact the FA office and see if they can do a FA estimater for you. I know the private schools dd applied too had this on their website and it was fairly accurate. We knew in 24 what they THOUGHT she might get or what we would have to pay.

 

[allison443]

DD is at Community College this year (graduated from high school at 16 so we kept her home for the first year). She applied at a university for next year, though, a few weeks ago. Between being a transferring student and needing financial aid (Pell Grant won't be there for her), her application deadline was end of December. Her transcripts, etc got there very quickly, and even though she was told there'd be no decision till into December, she received her acceptance letter at the end of November.

In that letter, they tell us we have to pay a $100 fee accepting admission. We are crossing our fingers hard, and praying the school will award her some aid. But that info apparently is "to come in a later letter" and NOT any time soon. Her $100 fee, though, is due in like 3 weeks.

Is this the norm? So if we pay that, and the aid they offer is crap, she has to apply other places. Then they, too, will charge the fee? Before we know how much tuition help she will get?

I have ZERO experience with this. She is working hard to save $, but I know she and we can't have enough to pay for everything. If only she'd chosen a career whose degree could be gotten locally.

Can someone walk me through the next steps? Did we do something wrong, or is this how it goes?

Financial aid isn't awarded until after you file the FAFSA, and you cannot file the FAFSA (for the next school year) until after January 1. So the school cannot tell you what your aid package will be.

Some private schools commit to meeting the full financial need of your student...is the school she applied to one of those?

The deposit you mention is often refundable. I would check the letter to make sure.

Can she apply somewhere else to keep her options open?

 

[allison443]

I just want to also mention that "financial aid" can include loans. It's a good idea to discuss the ramifications of student loans with your dd so she is prepared if the financial aid package includes loans.

 

[punkin]

I read the other responses and I am confused. OP, did you DD apply anywhere else? If she didn't, you are pretty much stuck with whatever financial aid they give you. What are your alternatives? It is still possible to get more applications out. Many deadlines are not before 12/15, more are 1/1. There are even several that are not until April. Have her apply to more than one school.

 

[taximomfor4]

Financial aid isn't awarded until after you file the FAFSA, and you cannot file the FAFSA (for the next school year) until after January 1. So the school cannot tell you what your aid package will be.

Some private schools commit to meeting the full financial need of your student...is the school she applied to one of those?

The deposit you mention is often refundable. I would check the letter to make sure.

Can she apply somewhere else to keep her options open?

She applied at a state school. She is looking for more schools that have her intended major now (actuarial science).

How do you know if a school is committed to meeting the full financial need? Does it state it somewhere? I am like a fish out of water.

I know dd will have to borrow some $, but I don't want it to be a ridiculous amount.

 

[allison443]

She applied at a state school. She is looking for more schools that have her intended major now (actuarial science).

How do you know if a school is committed to meeting the full financial need? Does it state it somewhere? I am like a fish out of water.

I know dd will have to borrow some $, but I don't want it to be a ridiculous amount.

Go the the "financial aid" section of the college's website. They will state it right there if they meet full need. (state school=probably not). Also look at the section for transfer students....sometimes some schools have less money available for transfers than they do for incoming freshmen.

Financial aid can be in the form of grants (that don't have to be paid back), loans, and work study jobs.

 

[taximomfor4]

Go the the "financial aid" section of the college's website. They will state it right there if they meet full need. (state school=probably not). Also look at the section for transfer students....sometimes some schools have less money available for transfers than they do for incoming freshmen.

Financial aid can be in the form of grants (that don't have to be paid back), loans, and work study jobs.

Yep finding out that her state school has a stipulation on most of their listed "automatically applied for " aid= for incoming freshmen only. So she needs to find out if she should NOT finish 30 credit hours (to go in as a sophomore) maybe.

This is so hard. Me, my siblings, etc ... we didn't go to college after high school. Dh did, but I didn't know him then and he sort of just applied, was accepted, and went (Lived at home and commuted to the local U.)

 

[Cee]

I finally told my son to stop applying. I was going broke!

 

[golfgal]

She applied at a state school. She is looking for more schools that have her intended major now (actuarial science).

How do you know if a school is committed to meeting the full financial need? Does it state it somewhere? I am like a fish out of water.

I know dd will have to borrow some $, but I don't want it to be a ridiculous amount.

AWESOME major choice--keep in mind that a lot of schools will customize majors even if they don't have an actual major. A good math school would also be an option for her. I would also check into the Wisconsin state schools, Madison specifically, since so many insurance companies are headquartered in Wisconsin they have a good pipeline from their schools (Madison especially). She needs a 30 or better on her ACT to get in there though but some of the smaller state schools aren't as selective. Wisconsin Eau-Claire would be a great choice for a younger student because it is a smaller campus in a smaller town-lovely town. DD15 is considering UW-EC and a couple of her friends are starting there in the fall (as well as several we know attending there now).

We are encouraging DS15 to look into actuarial science. Math is super easy for him and he is very analytical so it would be a great fit.

 

[dis-happy]

We had to pay a $400. acceptance fee for my dd's private university, but it is refundable upon graduation. Bet they try and get us to donate it back to the school though!!!

The schools are trying to see how committed you are to actually coming there--they need to get their numbers together for the next set of acceptances to send out.

 

[golfgal]

Yep finding out that her state school has a stipulation on most of their listed "automatically applied for " aid= for incoming freshmen only. So she needs to find out if she should NOT finish 30 credit hours (to go in as a sophomore) maybe.

This is so hard. Me, my siblings, etc ... we didn't go to college after high school. Dh did, but I didn't know him then and he sort of just applied, was accepted, and went (Lived at home and commuted to the local U.)

Not all of her credits will transfer so that is something. Also, see how they define "freshman". Many kids from our high school take enough post-secondary classes to qualify for sophomore or junior status creditwise but since they are going immediately from high school to college they are still considered "freshman" for aid. Her year at the CC may have hurt her more then helped her for aid-BUT, many schools will work with you on this because of her age and situation so don't just go by what the websites say. Become friendly with the financial aid officer .

 

[taximomfor4]

This is a dumb question I bet...but if, say, our EFC is $5000 (just tossing it out there, over the Pell Grant threshold which I am sure we barely don't qualify for), and the Estimated Cost of Attendance at the school she got into is $19,000 for in-state students, does that mean the MOST they will expect she (and us) to cough up is $5,000 for the school year? That doesn't sound impossible (just not easy). Does that mean they would make her borrow $14,000 in student loans per year? ($42,000 total for the 3 years she'd have left).

 

[allison443]

This is a dumb question I bet...but if, say, our EFC is $5000 (just tossing it out there, over the Pell Grant threshold which I am sure we barely don't qualify for), and the Estimated Cost of Attendance at the school she got into is $19,000 for in-state students, does that mean the MOST they will expect she (and us) to cough up is $5,000 for the school year? That doesn't sound impossible (just not easy). Does that mean they would make her borrow $14,000 in student loans per year? ($42,000 total for the 3 years she'd have left).

Financial aid can be in the form of grants (from government or the school itself), loans, or work study.
The cost of attendance minus your EFC=your "need". Not all schools fully meet your need. What schools give you to meet your need may be grants, loans, or work study.
The financial aid package from the school may be $14K or it could be less.
It wouldn't necessarily be $14K in student loans. Also there are different kinds of loans-federal, subsidized, private, unsubsidized.

I would suggest looking at the school's website. Most of the financial aid websites offer a lot of information on the different types of aid available, what kinds they give, etc.

Good luck! It can be overwhelming.

 

[allison443]

Not all of her credits will transfer so that is something. Also, see how they define "freshman". Many kids from our high school take enough post-secondary classes to qualify for sophomore or junior status creditwise but since they are going immediately from high school to college they are still considered "freshman" for aid. Her year at the CC may have hurt her more then helped her for aid-BUT, many schools will work with you on this because of her age and situation so don't just go by what the websites say. Become friendly with the financial aid officer .

Yes, especially for a program like actuarial science I would look into whether everything she took at cc will transfer. So many people recommend the two years at cc but it can be a detriment for receving aid when you transfer.

Does the community college have any kind of program where you can automatically transfer to a four year state school? My state does as long as you have a certain gpa...maybe the community college has some kind of advisor that could assist your dd.

 

[golfgal]

This is a dumb question I bet...but if, say, our EFC is $5000 (just tossing it out there, over the Pell Grant threshold which I am sure we barely don't qualify for), and the Estimated Cost of Attendance at the school she got into is $19,000 for in-state students, does that mean the MOST they will expect she (and us) to cough up is $5,000 for the school year? That doesn't sound impossible (just not easy). Does that mean they would make her borrow $14,000 in student loans per year? ($42,000 total for the 3 years she'd have left).

If your EFC is $5000 they will come up with an aid package that includes loans, grants, work study to get her to the $19,000any you come up with the $5000. Most schools offer a payment plan too. Pell are not the only grants out there-most schools have their own grants. Honestly, it was less expensive for all of our friends' kids to attend private schools then public schools mainly because of this. When I went to college, the private school I attended was $5000/year LESS then the state schools I applied at-when state schools cost about $8000 and private schools were at $15,000 so that was significant.

 

[MrsPete]

The schools are trying to see how committed you are to actually coming there--they need to get their numbers together for the next set of acceptances to send out.

This is the bottom line! Your daugther might SAY, "Yes, I'm going to attend your university", but then if something better comes along -- and better to an 18-year old can mean anything from a scholarship to a friend who asks her to room together -- she might change her mind.

From your perspective, it's good to keep your options open.
From the school's perspective, they want to know who's really going to attend next year. They want to get a firm number on their incoming student body so they know how many people they can still accept.

Getting you to plunk down some money is a way of forcing you to stop and consider whether this is right for you or not.

Yes, having to do it before the financial aid comes through is rough, but remember that you're making a decision with which she'll stick for the next three years (hopefully no more transfers -- so much stress), and you can't possibly know what those future years'll hold for you financially.

So at this point you have to make a decision and hope you're making the right one. I'd wait 'til the very last moment to pay that acceptance fee, but I would pay it. $100 is not something I'd just throw away, but it also isn't all the money in the world.

Good luck!

 

[taximomfor4]

Her cc does have transfer agreements with several state schools. Also, she has been watching the university she applied at's "compatible courses" with her cc, and is just taking the basics for the most part. She was going to have 26 credit hours in before transfer, but decided to take a class in summer at the cc to get to the 30 credit hours (the magic number that apparently makes you an incoming sophomore instead of freshman). We are re-thinking that now.

I have been methodically checking all the private schools I can think of. Can't find any that do the "meet 100% of need" around here, that have a strong mathematics degree. Then again, I kind of am clueless, lol.

I think I have to get her to apply at nearby schools and maybe commute. Transportation cost comes into play, then, though.

So basically, from you all's experience, DD should apply at a few more colleges, pay their acceptance fees, and then make a final college choice when the award offers arrive. Then file for refunds at the unchosen colleges.