When do financial aid packages get released??

[scowdeva]

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Generally, when do schools start to release financial aid packages?? My pre med advisor told me that most schools start to mail them in March, but now I'm beginning to wonder...

The specific reason I'm worrying about this is to get an idea of when waitlists would start to shift a little bit. I assume that the first slight tremors of waitlists will start once people start declining acceptances once they get the financial info. I understand that the most movement will be after May 15th, but the school that I am holding an acceptance at starts in June, so if I am going to withdraw to go somewhere else I have to know by June!

 

[rockchalkjdoc]

One of the schools I'm waitlisted at sent me an email reminding me to complete my FAFSA before their priority deadline. Any reason to hope I might be coming off the waitlist?

 

[154241]

One of the schools I'm waitlisted at sent me an email reminding me to complete my FAFSA before their priority deadline. Any reason to hope I might be coming off the waitlist?

i've gotten that from schools i haven't heard any decision at all from... apparently if you wait til you're accepted in may or june or whatever to do the fafsa, all the money is gone and you may have trouble getting loans even. or at least i think i heard something like that at various financial aid sessions. so they just want you to play it safe, probably. good luck though.

 

[scowdeva]

Any ideas back to the original question?? I got excited when I saw that someone had replied, but alas, no dice!

 

[154241]

Any ideas back to the original question?? I got excited when I saw that someone had replied, but alas, no dice!

check last year's class threads for the schools you're waiting to hear from. there's usually a running commentary on people getting their packages back. if they're not available, i think the old ones get archived--try a google-sdn search.

 

[scowdeva]

Brilliant, Taylorcraft!! I never thought to look at last year's class threads...I did a general search and waaaay too much useless crap came up. Thanks!

 

[alwaysaangel]

Generally, when do schools start to release financial aid packages?? My pre med advisor told me that most schools start to mail them in March, but now I'm beginning to wonder...

The specific reason I'm worrying about this is to get an idea of when waitlists would start to shift a little bit. I assume that the first slight tremors of waitlists will start once people start declining acceptances once they get the financial info. I understand that the most movement will be after May 15th, but the school that I am holding an acceptance at starts in June, so if I am going to withdraw to go somewhere else I have to know by June!

It depends on the school - but a lot of people don't hear by the May 15th deadline. Its just a sad truth of the financial aid process.

GWU last year told me there was no guarantee of getting my finaid info by May 15th (I was accepted October 16th the first possible day and submitted my info early). So they just gave me an estimate and I made choices based on that.

Same with UK and NYMC.

So unfortunately, most people are forced to make decisions based of estimates, or without finaid info, or are forced to ask for extensions to make their decision beyond the May 15th deadline.

Some waitlist movement is probably already happening at some schools. But the bulk of the movement occurs late May, June, July.

Unfortunately, not having the opportunity to get off of your waitlists is one of the downsides of being accepted to an early starting school.

 

[scowdeva]

Gah, the specific schools that I was wondering about don't have any info on past threads that I could find...meaning Temple, Wright State, and St Louis. I'm starting to feel a time crunch for my early starting school already...it's not my top choice but I'd rather go there than nowhere at all.

Schools should be required to get the financial info out earlier, or move the deadline up for holding acceptances. It makes it very stressful for those of us WITHOUT multiple acceptances, especially since I have a fiance that needs to find a job so that we can continue to eat...