Understanding the offer Forum

[Zooey]

A school has offered a combined package of $70K per year, which includes grants, Subsidized, Unsubsidized, and Grad Plus. Considering tuition is $45k, that leaves $25K per year for living expenses, not very much for a family.

Would they offer more if asked?

[berkeleykel06]

Students with children can generally get an increase in the amount they can borrow through gradplus for COL, but I would expect they'd have to go through some sort of a petition process. Have you discussed this with your school's fin aid office to make sure you are getting more than the standard amount that a single student would get?

Another thing to keep in mind is that the COL loans are supposed to cover your expenses during the school year only, not the summer. Unfortunately this is unrealistic because so many 1Ls have unpaid summer jobs, but it is nevertheless one reason why the COL loans may seem smaller than you'd desire.

[CanadianWolf]

Contact the school's financial aid officer for answers & options.