If “meets full need” schools meant something, one would expect that if a school meets 100% of demonstrated need, that it would cost less for students from similar financial situtations than a school that does not meet 100% of need. That, however, is not the case.
In December 2022 I did some research (post here) for a student who needed significant financial assistance. Here is the list of schools that I researched, sorted by percentage of need met (as listed in College Board’s profile for that school):
| School | % Need Met | Net price for $0-30k | Net Price for $30-48k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occidental | 100% | $13,983 | $13,285 |
| Pitzer | 100% | $985 | $4,759 |
| Stanford | 100% | $0 | $0 |
| Whitman | 94% | $14,774 | $18,861 |
| Santa Clara | 89% | $23,618 | $27,708 |
| U. of Puget Sound | 88% | $9,749 | $12,232 |
| U. of Redlands | 83% | $13,981 | $12,984 |
| Whittier | 82% | $14,301 | $13,280 |
| Pepperdine | 76% | $28,304 | $26,285 |
| Willamette | 75% | $25,081 | $24,078 |
| U. of the Pacific | 71% | $10,439 | $13,200 |
| U. of San Francisco | 71% | $30,235 | $30,787 |
| Loyola Marymount | 70% | $28,383 | $22,329 |
Here is that same list of schools, sorted from lowest net price for families earning $0-30k to highest:
| School | % Need Met | Net price for $0-30k | Net Price for $30-48k |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 100% | $0 | $0 |
| Pitzer | 100% | $985 | $4,759 |
| U. of Puget Sound | 88% | $9,749 | $12,232 |
| U. of the Pacific | 71% | $10,439 | $13,200 |
| U. of Redlands | 83% | $13,981 | $12,984 |
| Occidental | 100% | $13,983 | $13,285 |
| Whittier | 82% | $14,301 | $13,280 |
| Whitman | 94% | $14,774 | $18,861 |
| Santa Clara | 89% | $23,618 | $27,708 |
| Willamette | 75% | $25,081 | $24,078 |
| Pepperdine | 76% | $28,304 | $26,285 |
| Loyola Marymount | 70% | $28,383 | $22,329 |
| U. of San Francisco | 71% | $30,235 | $30,787 |
One can see that there are three schools (meeting between 71-88% of need) that have lower net prices than one of the 100% need met schools. There are two schools that meet 82% & 94% that are right behind the price of that 100% need-met school, too. U. of the Pacific, which only meets “71%” of need had a lower net price than seven other schools that meet a greater percentage of “need.”
All in all, I used to think that the percentage of need met meant something, but not anymore.