http://568group.org/methodology/
calimom,
I am hoping it is correct that your son is at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
MIT uses a different system to determine financial aid, called the:
568 Consensus Approach Methodology
This system was put together by a
group of universities LINKY with congressional approval.
It allows these universities to collaborate and to use the same system to determine and to award financial aid without getting into trouble for an anti-trust violation.
The details of this system are not public. But For federal student financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students, MIT computes the Federal Aid using the Federal Methodology. And for Institutional Financial Aid and Family Contribution, they use this 568 Presidential Consensus Approach Methodology.
"Expected family contribution (EFC) LINKY
The amount that parents and students are expected to contribute toward the student’s college expenses. For undergraduate financial aid, MIT computes the family contribution using the 568 Consensus Approach. For federal student financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students, MIT computes the family contribution using the Federal Methodology."
You can take two different approaches to your problem.
1)
This Consensus Approach Methodology clearly states that the Financial awards officer has control in individual cases.
"The exercise of “professional judgment by financial aid officers in assessing a family’s ability to pay should recognize unique or extenuating financial circumstances in individual cases; such professional judgment is not the proper mechanism for systematically treating groups of students differently in order to advance institutional objectives."
So you (or your son) may go visit/call a MIT financial aid officer with supporting evidence/paperwork on how you have financial need/hardship, and plead your case.
At the same time you could also make the case that the current Consensus Approach Methodology does not reflect the 'Spirit' of the new
President Obama Regulation excluding ROTC from the calculation of financial aid. Since it looks like the
"formula for determining a family's ability to support the expenses associated with college was updated most recently in 1999"LINKY
You can make the case That the 568 Consensus Approach Methodology needs to be updated, as the President Obama directive is law as of 2009.
LINKY
2)
You could also write a letter to the 568 Presidents’ Group
Technical board making the same argument about the 'Spirit' of President Obama's directive.
It is even possible that asking the MIT Financial Aid Officer how to appeal to the 568 group Board could have an impact.
Quotes and Notes:
MIT provides an Financial Aid Calculator for this system at:
LINKY
568 Consensus Approach Methodology
A system of principles, practices, and procedures created by the 568 Presidents’ Group and used at approximately 35 colleges and universities, including MIT, to determine the ability of each student’s family to support the annual student expense budget.
http://568group.org/docs/cmmanual-non.pdf
6. The exercise of “professional judgment” by financial aid officers in assessing a family’s ability to pay should recognize unique or extenuating financial circumstances in individual cases; such professional judgment is not the proper mechanism for systematically treating groups of students differently in order to advance institutional objectives.
568 Presidents Group
Toward that end, I and the other 568 Group presidents support the following financial aid principles:
* Families should contribute to educational expenses according to their ability and those with similar financial profiles should contribute similar amounts.
* To the extent they are able, parents and students have the primary responsibility to contribute to educational expenses before an institution awards financial aid.
* Institutions should evaluate both income and assets as part of the assessment of the family's ability to pay.
* The exercise of "professional judgment" by financial aid officers in assessing a family's ability to pay should recognize unique or extenuating financial circumstances in individual cases; such judgment is not the proper mechanism for systematically treating groups of students differently to advance institutional objectives.
* Each institution should inform applicants about the policies and practices it applies when measuring a family's ability to pay, carry out its policies consistently, and support the awarding of need-based aid.
* An institution that allocates any financial assistance that is not based exclusively on need should inform all prospective applicants of the standards it applies in allocating that aid.