Can a family count on the same financial aid package every year?
Your eligibility for need based funds (other then merit awards or the GW Guaranteed Grant) is determined one year at a time. Because you and your parents’ circumstances can change greatly from one year to the next, so can you award. For example, let’s say your mother is a widow when you apply for aid for freshman year. If she remarries, you will need to include your new step-parent’s information when you apply for aid the next year. This might increase the family income and make you eligible for less aid. On the other hand, when family income decreases, or the number of dependent siblings in college increases, you could be eligible for more aid.
