prayingmantis Posted March 10 Posted March 10 just received my financial aid offer and am feeling a bit defeated. HDS is absolutely my top choice, but i'm not sure it will be financially feasible. does anyone have advice on negotiating financial aid offers?
ER2026 Posted March 10 Posted March 10 34 minutes ago, prayingmantis said: just received my financial aid offer and am feeling a bit defeated. HDS is absolutely my top choice, but i'm not sure it will be financially feasible. does anyone have advice on negotiating financial aid offers? Agreed, my offers from other places were so much more generous. I am going to try to negotiate but otherwise I will probably just take another offer that is a better financial fit for my family. I am planning on explaining my situation, stating my offers from other schools, and then asking for an increase. We shall see if that works!
alex bc Posted March 10 Posted March 10 1 hour ago, prayingmantis said: just received my financial aid offer and am feeling a bit defeated. HDS is absolutely my top choice, but i'm not sure it will be financially feasible. does anyone have advice on negotiating financial aid offers? im sorry to hear this! so did the financial aid office send you an email? or the admissions office? did they say anything specifically -- like, maybe there're more fundings and you can bargain for more?
blackreligionist102 Posted March 10 Posted March 10 6 hours ago, Aronfly said: I really appreciate you sharing this! There’s honestly not a ton of detailed information about UTS online, so it’s especially helpful to hear from someone there. Thanks again, and I wish you all the best at Union! I felt the same way when I was looking. Happy to answer any questions that might come up for you. And thank you so much!
prayingmantis Posted March 10 Posted March 10 Just now, alex bc said: im sorry to hear this! so did the financial aid office send you an email? or the admissions office? did they say anything specifically -- like, maybe there're more fundings and you can bargain for more? i got an email this morning that my financial aid package was available to view! i am going to try to negotiate, but i am feeling really nervous about that lol. i know the worst they can say is no, but man i really wanna go to hds
blackreligionist102 Posted March 10 Posted March 10 12 minutes ago, alex bc said: Have they released all financial aid/merit offers yet? Can confirm that I received an email about them linking me to NetPartner at 10:01.
Rellee Posted March 10 Posted March 10 I got the 75% tuition grant and emailed asking about additional possible coverage and was told all decisions are final! Good luck to others who reach out! Let me know if anyone else has better luck.
alex bc Posted March 10 Posted March 10 15 minutes ago, Rellee said: I got the 75% tuition grant and emailed asking about additional possible coverage and was told all decisions are final! Good luck to others who reach out! Let me know if anyone else has better luck. ah so they have released everything? i haven't got any emails unfortunately alas...
Rellee Posted March 10 Posted March 10 4 hours ago, alex bc said: ah so they have released everything? i haven't got any emails unfortunately alas... were you accepted into the program? if so, you should have gotten an email about your financial aid package! I'd email harvard's financial aid office if you haven't yet!
thunderplumpcollar Posted March 11 Posted March 11 I was offered admission to the MTS program. This isn't my first year applying, so I am over the moon. The financial aid package was also perfect for my needs. I share this simply as an artifact of encouragement for anyone now or in the future who needs a positive nudge to keep going: keep going! endlessspring, blackreligionist102, wuminglvren and 1 other 4
prayingmantis Posted March 11 Posted March 11 On 3/10/2026 at 11:21 AM, Rellee said: I got the 75% tuition grant and emailed asking about additional possible coverage and was told all decisions are final! Good luck to others who reach out! Let me know if anyone else has better luck. did you email the financial aid office?
Rellee Posted March 11 Posted March 11 1 hour ago, prayingmantis said: did you email the financial aid office? Yes! I emailed them explaining I had a change in income (layoff) and they gave me a boiler plate response saying they couldn't offer me any more financial aid.
ER2026 Posted March 12 Posted March 12 Hello, friends. I need help as I am super stressed about this decision making process and I need advice from likeminded people. Can you please help me discern between these programs for MDiv? UChicago - Full Tuition and very generous stipend, Princeton Seminary with full tuition and smaller, but still generous stipend, and Harvard with full tuition with no stipend. Please help meeee! ❤️ endlessspring 1
CrazyLuke Posted March 13 Posted March 13 9 hours ago, ER2026 said: Hello, friends. I need help as I am super stressed about this decision making process and I need advice from likeminded people. Can you please help me discern between these programs for MDiv? UChicago - Full Tuition and very generous stipend, Princeton Seminary with full tuition and smaller, but still generous stipend, and Harvard with full tuition with no stipend. Please help meeee! ❤️ I am not quite familiar with Princeton Seminary but between the offers from UChicago and HDS, I would seriously consider UChicago. blackreligionist102 1
Nouwen2025 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 13 minutes ago, CrazyLuke said: I am not quite familiar with Princeton Seminary but between the offers from UChicago and HDS, I would seriously consider UChicago. Please share more, I’m very interested!
blackreligionist102 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 (edited) 16 hours ago, ER2026 said: Hello, friends. I need help as I am super stressed about this decision making process and I need advice from likeminded people. Can you please help me discern between these programs for MDiv? UChicago - Full Tuition and very generous stipend, Princeton Seminary with full tuition and smaller, but still generous stipend, and Harvard with full tuition with no stipend. Please help meeee! ❤️ UChicago is an incredibly respected school, having produced some of the best scholars in the field. It would certainly set you up for a wonderful career. With the full tuition and generous stipend plus the lower cost of living in Chicago (and simultaneously, the increased access to resources living in a large city), it sounds like a wonderful option! I don't think you can go wrong with any of your options, but I would also seriously consider the UChicago offer. Edited March 13 by blackreligionist102 Nouwen2025 1
ER2026 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 8 hours ago, blackreligionist102 said: UChicago is an incredibly respected school, having produced some of the best scholars in the field. It would certainly set you up for a wonderful career. With the full tuition and generous stipend plus the lower cost of living in Chicago (and simultaneously, the increased access to resources living in a large city), it sounds like a wonderful option! I don't think you can go wrong with any of your options, but I would also seriously consider the UChicago offer. Thank you for sharing! Yes, I absolutely feel this way, too, and I am definitely weighing all of the options. I really appreciate the academic and theological/theoretical lens that is so present at UChicago and I am so fortunate to have so many great options. But I am like paralyzed by the fear I won’t make the right choice! Lmao! Also I am generally 25% intimidated by the intense academic environment at UChi lol. blackreligionist102 1
blackreligionist102 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 2 minutes ago, ER2026 said: Thank you for sharing! Yes, I absolutely feel this way, too, and I am definitely weighing all of the options. I really appreciate the academic and theological/theoretical lens that is so present at UChicago and I am so fortunate to have so many great options. But I am like paralyzed by the fear I won’t make the right choice! Lmao! Also I am generally 25% intimidated by the intense academic environment at UChi lol. Your acceptance WITH such a generous scholarship is proof that you can do it! Trust your gut. It will lead you where you need to be. Best of luck! FutureDreams and ER2026 2
ER2026 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 7 minutes ago, blackreligionist102 said: Your acceptance WITH such a generous scholarship is proof that you can do it! Trust your gut. It will lead you where you need to be. Best of luck! You are just a breath of fresh air with your positivity and kindness! blackreligionist102 1
FutureDreams Posted March 13 Posted March 13 6 hours ago, ER2026 said: You are just a breath of fresh air with your positivity and kindness! Just coming here to say I agree - a name is part of what makes an education - but not all - and having an offer that does not deplete your savings or cause you to go into massive debt for an education is something to strongly consider. Even moreso when it is from a highly respected institution that is known for academic rigor and excellence. It is almost as if they are making the decision for you by heavily recruiting you - it is clear from their offer that they WANT you at their school. blackreligionist102 1
ER2026 Posted March 13 Posted March 13 1 hour ago, FutureDreams said: Just coming here to say I agree - a name is part of what makes an education - but not all - and having an offer that does not deplete your savings or cause you to go into massive debt for an education is something to strongly consider. Even moreso when it is from a highly respected institution that is known for academic rigor and excellence. It is almost as if they are making the decision for you by heavily recruiting you - it is clear from their offer that they WANT you at their school. I feel so lucky for this, truly! If money weren’t a factor (which it is for me because I don’t have generation wealth or any wealth, lol), where would you go?
FutureDreams Posted March 14 Posted March 14 4 hours ago, ER2026 said: I feel so lucky for this, truly! If money weren’t a factor (which it is for me because I don’t have generation wealth or any wealth, lol), where would you go? If money were no object, I would be looking at programs in Canada, England, and Ireland!
ER2026 Posted March 14 Posted March 14 3 hours ago, FutureDreams said: If money were no object, I would be looking at programs in Canada, England, and Ireland! Oooo! I would also definitely be looking to go international. What US school would you be seeking?
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