Financial numbers after acceptance?

[andalus]

My partner was told a certain MFA stipend + fellowship number over the phone during her acceptance call, and was told to wait for financial info in an upcoming mailing. No mailing ever came, they went back and forth with a few people via email. Finally they were told a much lower total number with no fellowship. And that any additional funding could only be offered after accepting. The school keeps pushing them to just hit accept already.

Why would someone accept something before knowing what the final numbers are? I did my PhD applications a few years ago and I would have never accepted anything before I knew all the numbers in advance. Academics like to act like money doesn't matter; it does. Especially right now, when everything's in crisis.

Is this something that happens often? Do MFA programs often want applicants to accept before knowing all the financial details?

 

 

[feralgrad]

I've never heard of that happening, and it sounds very sketchy. The funding offer may have changed since this health crisis is also an economic crisis, but that's no excuse for the attitude you described.