lemonginger

Good Luck! So glad that you got a great offer from Ford. I also had a tough luck negotiating but it was worth trying.

You can ask them politely about it I believe. Just be frank and mention that the 10% is really required for that particular school to be a financially comfortable option for you. If it is possible for them to raise it, they will. There is no harm in mentioning what is important for you, just be polite and professional. Since they already increased your offer once, they are really interested to have you with them.

Hi! Congratulations on your acceptances! It is almost time we decide where to enroll for this fall. I am heading towards Durham, NC. Duke it is. Chosen the Sanford School based on the proximity to DC, concentration on international development and family members living near by. On top of that the financial aid is generous and living cost is on the lower side compared to my other options- DC/Seattle/Austin. Eager to know which school you have chosen and what are your reasons?

Yes, more or less.

Thanks for your opinion. Hoping to see you at UVA if we both end up going there!

I got admission with fellowship from the above mentioned schools. The difference in cost of attendance is definitely one parameter to look at but other than that how would you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of these schools? Also got in at Duke Sanford but the fellowship amount is not sufficient to make it a financially viable option, hence not considering it unless I get additional funding from them (unlikely, right?). I am an international student and want to work in non-profit/international organizations after graduation. My areas of interest are program evaluation, gender and development. I would also prefer a family friendly location where living cost is not too high. Thoughts appreciated.

Yes, I did. Got an acceptance email with fellowship information yesterday. Hope you get the news soon.

Same here with me. Hope something can be done regarding this. Trying to decide between a cheaper but comparable school with Batten right now. All the best to you too.

How does the funding look like for those who received it? UVA is one of my top choices. I am an international student, hence the COA is quite high even after a generous fellowship. Wondering if they offer need based aid or assistantships in the first year. Any thoughts?

I got an email recently which mentioned that they will get back on funding by March 22nd. Good Luck!

All the best! Hope you get a good news soon. I also applied for the regular one.

Congratulations on your acceptance! I also heard back half an hour ago, in with a fellowship! Let's wait till next week to learn more about the fellowship. Any idea on how much tuition does it cover usually from previous years' discussions?

Are they going to release decisions from today? Anxiously waiting!

Wow, that's great. Congrats once again.

Program Applied To (MPA, MPP, IR, etc.): MPA,MPP, MPAff Schools Applied To: SIPA, CIPA, Sanford, Heller, Bush School, LBJ School, Humphrey Schools Admitted To: CIPA (Financial aid info to come later), Heller ($$$$), Humphrey (Aid information to be released soon) Schools Rejected From: None yet Still Waiting: LBJ, SIPA, Sanford, Bush Undergraduate Institution: Top school in an Asian country Undergraduate GPA: 3.7 Undergraduate Major: International Relations GRE Quantitative/Verbal/AW Scores: Have not submitted Years Out of Undergrad (if applicable): 5 Years of Work Experience: 5 Describe Relevant Work Experience: Mix of Non-profit, Corporate in managerial and research positions in prominent organizations Strength of SOP (be honest, describe the process, etc): I think they were good, researched a lot about each program and customized SOP for each application, mentioned about my strengths, achievements and plans for future. Strength of LOR's (be honest, describe the process, etc): They were pretty strong I believe, have not seen them though. 5 from my undergrad professors and 2 were work supervisors- not very known people but wrote strongly about my caliber and potential I think. Other: I spent significant amount of time researching programs and shortlisting them. gave effort to write the SOPs and made sure that my story, personality and future goals are reflected on them.

Congrats on your funding offer. Would you mind sharing more about it? Waiting to hear back mine.

Columbia SIPA Carnegie Mellon Heinz UT Austin LBJ School

I think they are still sending out decisions. You can also knock Jennifer for an update. She is very helpful and responsive. All the best!

Yeah, heard back on 23rd December. Completed application on 30th November, last LOR arrived around 5th Dec.

Hi! International applicant here. Just heard back from University of Minnesota. Got accepted to the MPP program, the letter did not mention anything about funding though. Hoping to find out people who also received an offer recently. Do they communicate separately on financial aid?

Mine was "role of politics in policymaking"