Does anyone have a sense of how much my child will be “penalized” in admissions for needing financial aid? My child is looking at LACs with a sticker price of around $75,000, and most schools on the list are unfortunately not need blind. I think our EFC will be $31,000 - $33,000. Will my child be considered a high financial need applicant with that EFC and therefore be less likely to be admitted to selective colleges? I know the answer to this varies with each school and it’s all shrouded in mystery, but insights would be appreciated.
1 Like
Most schools say whether or not they are need-blind, so you should check that for each school first.
1 Like
Yes, unfortunately the schools at the top of our list are not need blind.
There’s no way to know for sure, of course. I think this Selingo excerpt illustrates how it really just depends on how the whole class is coming together:
It should also be said that at some less-selective schools that discount heavily someone able to pay as much as you might not be disadvantaged at all.
5 Likes
I think need aware schools are just that . . . need aware. How that affects admission depends on the school. At highly competitive schools that are need aware you may be penalized for needing aid, but at others it may play little or no role in your admissions decision. Regardless, you should focus on schools that say they will meet full demonstrated need whether or not they are need aware so that you aren’t left with an acceptance that is really a rejection because you can’t afford it.
5 Likes
@Yonkers6thBoro
Ooof. That was a demoralizing read, but thank you for sharing it.
@Thorsmom66
The school my kid is thinking of applying ED to admits fewer than 15% of applicants and is need-aware. On the bright side, they do meet 100% of need (as defined by them, of course). We are willing to pay the EFC even though it is an astoundingly huge amount to us. It is a difficult reality that my kid has worked hard and we are willing to sacrifice to find a way to pay our EFC at this dream school, but my kid could get denied in part because we are middle class.
Agree with @Thorsmom66, I think it is so much better for a need-aware school to reject students rather than gapping them (accepting without meeting full need).
This might not make your daughter feel any better if she gets rejected for her top school (with <15% acceptance rate), but it is much more likely to be because the vast majority of applicants get rejected (>85%), not because she is from a middle class family.
It is probably little comfort, but at a school that only accepts 15% of applicants, most kids are going to be rejected regardless of financial need. Also, encourage your daughter to get excited about some other schools where she stands a greater chance of admission so that if her dream school doesn’t work out (and I hope it does) she won’t be totally devastated.
3 Likes
I agree that “gapped” offers are not desirable. However, I don’t think it’s necessary or even wise to limit your list entirely to full-need-met schools. There are many good colleges that meet a high percentage of student need and also give merit to strong applicants. When the applicant is well qualified, it is not at all unusual for merit to fill any gap left by the need based aid, and also potentially to replace loans that are part of the need-based aid package. You can miss out on some great opportunities by ruling out such schools out of hand. Look instead at the average percentage need met - if it’s close to 90% or above, and the applicant has good merit potential, the school deserves consideration.
Edited to add: It’s also the case that some schools stretch to declare themselves full-need-met for exactly this reason - it’s attractive to applicants. However, since it’s a stretch for them, they may use the least generous formula possible in computing your need. In this case, you can actually end up worse off. Even if you’re granted merit, it will not “stack” but will be absorbed into the overall aid package, leaving you at the relatively high net price the school computed. Net Price Calculators aren’t a guarantee but are definitely your friend in terms of gauging what a school will expect you to pay. Ultimately this is more important than the distinction between a full-need-met school and a “meets 95% of need on average but also gives merit” school.
2 Likes
@Thorsmom66 Yes, by no means did I mean to say that if my kid gets rejected it’ll just be due to financial need. It just really sucks that it is a factor. 
2 Likes
It does stink. Hoping for the best for your daughter.
That is a great point and one I should have added. The message is to try to apply to schools where a combination of need-based aid and merit can bring you close to the family EFC and avoid places where they don’t meet full demonstrated need AND, also, don’t offer any merit (worst of both worlds).
2 Likes
It always sucks when something we are partly, or wholly, responsible for has a possible adverse impact on our kids. We can blame ourselves something fierce even if we know the situation is what it is, and there isn’t much we can do to fix it (barring your family winning the lottery, which seems to bring a whole host of other issues to those families).
There have been plenty of times I wish I could wave a wand and fix the (unfixable) issue that was affecting my child(ren). Seriously believe that is the hardest part of being a parent.
Edited to add: I am sure there are several LACs that are less selective for admission (and more generous with merit) but equally amazing for your daughter to discover and apply to during her admission process. We had to base our list on SLACs that fit our budget first and foremost and were pleasantly surprised by how many gave our daughter exactly what she was looking for at a price point that came in below our budget. Literally the only aspect she compromised on was location. This will all work out, and next year you will be wondering why you couldn’t see how well when it was stressful.
1 Like
It sounds like even $30,000 a year will be a financial stretch for your family. Hoping you have some schools on your application list that are truly affordable…perhaps with merit aid which does not take family finances into consideration.
It sounds to me like a full tuition scholarship would be great financially for your family.
I’m sure if you give your price point and student stats that someone here will have some good suggestions for you.
3 Likes
The honors program at our flagship state school is our ultimate safety. I’m totally at peace with borrowing against our house or taking out other loans to meet our EFC for the right school.
My kid:
4.0 uw GPA, took nearly all the AP and honors classes available
SAT: 1400. May retake. Dream school is test blind.
EC: Deeply involved in theater, including being in a troupe that has won adjudications in national competitions. Varsity athlete in 2 sports. Involvement in student political groups.
Other: From a rural state that is often not well represented. Would like to do sports in college. Probably good enough to walk on at the dream school, but unlikely to be a recruited athlete.
Have they talked to the coach at dream school? Sometimes at LACs it’s not absolutely necessary to be a recruit to get some help/additional info that’s not available to non-athletes (I’m thinking specifically about admissions flags and fin aid prereads)
Is this dream school division 1 or 3? If 3, no scholarships will be available based on athletics. But your kid might get to play.
There are colleges that are test blind or optional this year where your costs would be less than $30,000 a year.
With a 4.0 or so GPA, University of New Mexico would come in below that budget amount. @WayOutWestMom am I right?
ASU and University of Arizona might as well @tsbna44 could you elaborate?
At some of these larger colleges, your student might find club sports that will work.
If you want to take parent loans out, that is your family decision…but make sure you feel confident that you will qualify for all four years.
D3. Not expecting a scholarship but being recruited can help with admissions. Dream school coach basically said good enough to walk on, not be recruited. Coach at a different college on the list is doing a pre read and has said he will support the app.
@thumper is right.
University of New Mexico’s LUE PLUS scholarship requires a 3.0 HS GPA or 20 ACT/1030 SAT and gets the student in-state tuition rates.
UNM’s instate tuition, fees, housing, and meals come in at under $20K/year.
A 3.5 GPA plus a 23 ACT/1130SAT will qualify your student for the Amigo Scholarship. The Amigo gives instate student rates, plus an additional $200/year stipend.
fuzziwig - can’t help on your original question. but i wish your child well; and hope it all works out for the best.
Our son applied to some top schools and did not get in. I didnt help him at all with the apps because i knew i knew we couldnt afford the schools if he did get in. we had a FAFSA efc of around $33K; the NPC on the top schools websites came in higher - anywhere from 38-43K. I guess i just wanted to share how for us, the FAFSA EFC was the smallest number; the elite schools said higher amounts.
4 Likes