I had difficulties getting my financial aid filled out because of family problems, and Carleton was the most patient and understanding of my situation. Also, the financial aid package made a first-class education more accessible to me than I had imagined.

I wouldn't have been able to attend Carleton if it hadn't been for a generous financial aid package. Of the private schools where I got accepted, it was actually the one that would have cost me the least to attend. I could have gotten virtually a free ride from the UCs, but I really wanted to attend here.

Carleton admitted me with a full financial aid package. I was thrilled when I saw the offer and now I am grateful to Carleton for the privilege of being here with all the assistance I could ever dream of. My mother often tells me that I should always put an extra effort in whatever I am engaged in at Carleton because the school has made a huge investment in my education, it is a privilege that many would be thrilled to have.

Most schools told me that I didn't qualify for financial aid, but Carleton agreed to hire me for work study. The money and experience have been very valuable.

Financial aid definitely influenced my college decision. Not being from the most economically advantaged background, I was concerned with how I would be able to afford a college as expensive as Carleton. If the financial aid had not been up to par, I would be at the U of M instead.

The Carleton Grant alleviated in a very significant way the burden that paying for college can be. This allowed me to come to Carleton without taking enormous amounts of loans.

Carleton was the only one of my top-choice colleges to offer me any financial aid. They gave me enough aid to make coming here manageable. I was thrilled.

I didn't apply to any financial safety schools--the five I did apply and get accepted to were all about equally costly. I think I already knew Carleton was the place for me, so I guess it was lucky that they offered me the best aid package of the five. Rather than being a deciding factor, I think it sealed the deal. Tuition is still a burden - on my parents now and on me in a few months when I graduate and the loan companies come knocking - but we got together and decided that the Carleton experience would be worth it. And it has been.

I was always drawn to Carleton, but the fact that Carleton made itself just as affordable, if not more so, than any other school I applied to made the decision that much easier.