Anonymous
12/14/2025 12:57
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
There's some things about the administration of FA that might help you understand how it works.
The first step in the process is determining the size of the Financial Aid budget. What is the total amount of tuition discounting they can allow?
The second step is figuring out who gets it and how much do they get.
Much of this is driven by estimates of an applicant's financial resources. BUT, it's the school that determines who gets what.
They can do anything they want for whatever reason.
The first step in the process is determining the size of the Financial Aid budget. What is the total amount of tuition discounting they can allow?
The second step is figuring out who gets it and how much do they get.
Much of this is driven by estimates of an applicant's financial resources. BUT, it's the school that determines who gets what.
They can do anything they want for whatever reason.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 12:55
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just under $300k when we applied to well reputed (non-religious) privates for 6th grade. Tuition was in the 50s on average. We got a few paltry offers of $10k but mostly nothing. The one school that waitlisted our kid (who got into the rest) said they’d be admitted if willing to full pay.
We stayed in public.
On that income yuo can afford full pay. That's crazy you expect that much help.
That’s not true. That’s $300k before taxes. See my very basic breakdown above.
You are free to feel that way. But $10k is generally the amount that we donate every year. If I found out (and I wouldn't, but if I did) that the school offered $10k to a family with an HHI of $300k, my contributions would come to a screeching halt.
A lot of schools publicize data like this, and nearly all show a decent chunk of aided families in this income bracket.
At Landon, 27% of aided families have a HHI of over 300k, 13% of whom have HHI over 400k. https://www.landon.net/admission
At Maret, 34% of aided families have a HHI of over 250k. https://www.maret.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid
Do you think this is common or are these schools just particularly well-resourced?
Common for the DMV.
Where schools brag about their FA but, strangely, have few actual LMC or poor kids attending.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 12:14
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just under $300k when we applied to well reputed (non-religious) privates for 6th grade. Tuition was in the 50s on average. We got a few paltry offers of $10k but mostly nothing. The one school that waitlisted our kid (who got into the rest) said they’d be admitted if willing to full pay.
We stayed in public.
On that income yuo can afford full pay. That's crazy you expect that much help.
That’s not true. That’s $300k before taxes. See my very basic breakdown above.
You are free to feel that way. But $10k is generally the amount that we donate every year. If I found out (and I wouldn't, but if I did) that the school offered $10k to a family with an HHI of $300k, my contributions would come to a screeching halt.
A lot of schools publicize data like this, and nearly all show a decent chunk of aided families in this income bracket.
At Landon, 27% of aided families have a HHI of over 300k, 13% of whom have HHI over 400k. https://www.landon.net/admission
At Maret, 34% of aided families have a HHI of over 250k. https://www.maret.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid
Do you think this is common or are these schools just particularly well-resourced?
Common for the DMV.
It's common. Most DMV schools will give aid up to $400K. I know one that regularly gives aid beyond that.
K-8 schools don't but they are less resourced.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 12:06
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just under $300k when we applied to well reputed (non-religious) privates for 6th grade. Tuition was in the 50s on average. We got a few paltry offers of $10k but mostly nothing. The one school that waitlisted our kid (who got into the rest) said they’d be admitted if willing to full pay.
We stayed in public.
On that income yuo can afford full pay. That's crazy you expect that much help.
That’s not true. That’s $300k before taxes. See my very basic breakdown above.
You are free to feel that way. But $10k is generally the amount that we donate every year. If I found out (and I wouldn't, but if I did) that the school offered $10k to a family with an HHI of $300k, my contributions would come to a screeching halt.
A lot of schools publicize data like this, and nearly all show a decent chunk of aided families in this income bracket.
At Landon, 27% of aided families have a HHI of over 300k, 13% of whom have HHI over 400k. https://www.landon.net/admission
At Maret, 34% of aided families have a HHI of over 250k. https://www.maret.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid
Do you think this is common or are these schools just particularly well-resourced?
Common for the DMV.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:36
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Just under $300k when we applied to well reputed (non-religious) privates for 6th grade. Tuition was in the 50s on average. We got a few paltry offers of $10k but mostly nothing. The one school that waitlisted our kid (who got into the rest) said they’d be admitted if willing to full pay.
We stayed in public.
On that income yuo can afford full pay. That's crazy you expect that much help.
That’s not true. That’s $300k before taxes. See my very basic breakdown above.
You are free to feel that way. But $10k is generally the amount that we donate every year. If I found out (and I wouldn't, but if I did) that the school offered $10k to a family with an HHI of $300k, my contributions would come to a screeching halt.
A lot of schools publicize data like this, and nearly all show a decent chunk of aided families in this income bracket.
At Landon, 27% of aided families have a HHI of over 300k, 13% of whom have HHI over 400k. https://www.landon.net/admission
At Maret, 34% of aided families have a HHI of over 250k. https://www.maret.org/admission/tuition-financial-aid
Do you think this is common or are these schools just particularly well-resourced?
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:34
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
Some parents brag about how much aid they are receiving. Like their kid earned it (which is false) or that they won in gaming the financial aid system. These parents are very open in discussing their financial aid.
The world’s weirdest fan fiction.
I have had a parent brag to me about how much aid they receive and encourage me to apply myself. I told them we really don’t need it. She said neither do they but it is free money so why not? After this I have tried to avoid that parent.
So you had this interaction with one parent once. Not “some parents.”
I was responding to a post by someone else.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:33
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
They admitted it, though did not disclose the amount. It was the, "just make sure you list all your expenses, like your mortgages [plural]" that got me. Like, if you have multiple properties maybe you don't need financial aid? And because I see them frequently, I know the cars are nice and vacations are taken regularly.
But whatever. Obviously I'm not their accountant and it's not on me to police their applications. It just rankles.
What about multiple properties? We own a second home in DC that we rent. The rent covers the 3.5k mortgage plus 2.5k to help pay for our house mortgage. If we sold the house, we would probably profit 100-150k and lose the 2.5k/month.
We are not rich, but have not needed aid so far. When our third gets to private school, we might..
How would the second home/rental property affect our chances? Would the school expect us to sell it? If we do, within 5 years we will need much more aid because we would be giving up the extra 30k per year in rental income.
You would just have to apply and see. Maybe explain on the forms. The people here have no idea.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:32
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
Some parents brag about how much aid they are receiving. Like their kid earned it (which is false) or that they won in gaming the financial aid system. These parents are very open in discussing their financial aid.
The world’s weirdest fan fiction.
I have had a parent brag to me about how much aid they receive and encourage me to apply myself. I told them we really don’t need it. She said neither do they but it is free money so why not? After this I have tried to avoid that parent.
So you had this interaction with one parent once. Not “some parents.”
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:27
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
Some parents brag about how much aid they are receiving. Like their kid earned it (which is false) or that they won in gaming the financial aid system. These parents are very open in discussing their financial aid.
The world’s weirdest fan fiction.
I have had a parent brag to me about how much aid they receive and encourage me to apply myself. I told them we really don’t need it. She said neither do they but it is free money so why not? After this I have tried to avoid that parent.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:21
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
They admitted it, though did not disclose the amount. It was the, "just make sure you list all your expenses, like your mortgages [plural]" that got me. Like, if you have multiple properties maybe you don't need financial aid? And because I see them frequently, I know the cars are nice and vacations are taken regularly.
But whatever. Obviously I'm not their accountant and it's not on me to police their applications. It just rankles.
What about multiple properties? We own a second home in DC that we rent. The rent covers the 3.5k mortgage plus 2.5k to help pay for our house mortgage. If we sold the house, we would probably profit 100-150k and lose the 2.5k/month.
We are not rich, but have not needed aid so far. When our third gets to private school, we might..
How would the second home/rental property affect our chances? Would the school expect us to sell it? If we do, within 5 years we will need much more aid because we would be giving up the extra 30k per year in rental income.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:20
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
Some parents brag about how much aid they are receiving. Like their kid earned it (which is false) or that they won in gaming the financial aid system. These parents are very open in discussing their financial aid.
The world’s weirdest fan fiction.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:16
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
They admitted it, though did not disclose the amount. It was the, "just make sure you list all your expenses, like your mortgages [plural]" that got me. Like, if you have multiple properties maybe you don't need financial aid? And because I see them frequently, I know the cars are nice and vacations are taken regularly.
But whatever. Obviously I'm not their accountant and it's not on me to police their applications. It just rankles.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:16
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
Some parents brag about how much aid they are receiving. Like their kid earned it (which is false) or that they won in gaming the financial aid system. These parents are very open in discussing their financial aid.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:15
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I would like to think my full pay tuition isn't financing wealthy families. But I know at least one that seems well off, has more than one property, a two kids in private and is getting financial aid, though I don't know how much.
It's a little disheartening to those of us who worked hard to pay off our mortgage early, drive older cars, don't take expensive vacations, and live within our means to be penalized for being frugal.
How do you know they get aid? I have no idea who gets aid at our school
+1. Also, the extent of this complaint is that they “seem well off” and have a second property. That’s not really much to go on. And you don’t know how much they get, could be $5k per kid for all you know.
Anonymous
12/14/2025 11:14
Subject: What HHI for financial aid?
Anonymous wrote:Just because a food pantry would offer you food doesn’t make it okay to take it. If you really don’t need it, you are an a-hole.
+1
It is totally against my moral values. Clearly the morality in our country has changed significantly as the population has exploded.