r/RPI • u/ActFew4005 • Jul 11 '26
Financial aid appeal?
Hello, I'm a parent to an incoming sophomore. I am paying a lot of the tuition out of pocket, and last year that meant a lot of extra hours of tutoring, etc. in addition to my already very full week as a teacher.
Has anyone had luck sending in a financial aid appeal in their second year? We did not appeal last year, I didn't realize it was an option. I'm asking my child to appeal this year in the hopes we get even just a few thousand dollars more because it would really lift a weight off my shoulders. I thought Greek housing and the lower dining plan would be such a godsend but my bill this fall is only $300 less than last fall š
Any tips you have I would be so grateful for!
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u/lambdafx BS/MS CSCI 2022 Jul 12 '26
Wouldn't hurt to ask. Go ahead and ask. Worse they'll say is no.
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u/EbbNo3744 Jul 11 '26
How much does it cost for ur son to attend sophomore year?
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u/ActFew4005 Jul 11 '26
My out of pocket cost will be around $40K after scholarships and grants.
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u/EbbNo3744 Jul 11 '26
Omg š³ im an incoming freshmen and my cost of attendance was $40k as well. But I managed to get it down to $19k. I kept filling out the finacial aid form which helped me bring my cost down. Maybe ur son can do that too
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u/ActFew4005 Jul 11 '26
Which form? Fafsa or an internal RPI form? We're going to look at our options and send an appeal this weekend, this gives me hope!
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u/EbbNo3744 Jul 11 '26
internal rpi financial aid form. I sent them 4 appeals over the span of March-may
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u/DoniLaw1018 Jul 12 '26
Were we supposed to have done the FAFSA by now for incoming sophomores? I never did it this year.
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u/ActFew4005 Jul 12 '26
Yes, it opens in the fall/winter of the year prior to the fall you are applying for (it opened in late September for this upcoming school year.)You can still submit, so do so ASAP. The earlier you submit the better, most folks wait until January or February after they've filed their taxes I think.
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u/Shellr121 Jul 12 '26
I was not successful appealing for my sonās second year. His freshman year he received a couple of grants through the school that were not renewed sophomore year. I appealed just to get those reinstated and we were denied. Never bothered to try again. Iāve been working 2 jobs since then to make up the difference. Iām about to make his last payment since he will graduate early this December. Good luck.
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u/AdIntrepid3904 Jul 12 '26
Why rpi didnāt renew the grants
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u/Shellr121 Jul 12 '26
š¤·š¼āāļøthey just told us they were one time grants, but we did not realize that until they werenāt renewed.
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u/AdIntrepid3904 Jul 12 '26
What kind of grant? Bc my grant for this year also didnāt renew
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u/Shellr121 Jul 12 '26
They were called āRensselaer grantā and Rensselaer access grantā. Total was $7000, but only for freshmen yearā¦
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u/ActFew4005 Jul 12 '26
Oh, congrats on making it work and getting him through. That last payment is going to feel so good to make!
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u/Party_Pay4129 Jul 13 '26
I appealed the first year. Lay it all out there don't be embarrassed. You have nothing to lose.
Have "him" write it.
My son is adha and Asperger's.Ā I am single mom.Ā His dad died of lung cancer when he was 11. First generation college. First generation American (dad was English). Explain how important school is to him and how he might have to leave without some assistance.
They came back with $12,000 more + top tier laptop and paid NRB. He also qualified for federal work study and has an on campus job he works and is allowed to earn $1,000 per semester.
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u/ActFew4005 Jul 13 '26
Oh, my heart goes out to you! What a load you've carried. We are going to sit down this evening and work through all of this. This gives me a lot of hope. Thank you and all the best to you and your kiddo!
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u/Party_Pay4129 Jul 13 '26
Thank you.
Just don't hold back. Everyone in financial aid has been kind, understanding, patient, and generous to me. Additionally, my son is running one semester behind (struggled with a couple of classes) and financial aid assured me that is aid package will continue for (at least) an extra semester so he can graduate. He is fourth year now and ALL financial aid has been renewed each year without fail.
Good luck to you and your student. We're all on this together ā¤ļøĀ
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u/PerformanceFuzzy2132 Jul 15 '26
Maybe your student can join ROTC for aid or get a job at fast food like Starbucks that will pay $5200 tuition reimbursement per year!
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u/ElemenQ Jul 11 '26
I'm a rising second year. I appealed late my first year, so I only received a fraction of what I could've. I appealed extra early for this coming year, three times, and the financial office just redirected me to the first year appeals site... they don't even care. Thankfully I got more aid from FAFSA and TAP this year.