<p>I am a high school Senior and I have already made the decision not to apply to Barnard yet… I’m not ready, and even though transfer applications are harder, I think it’s what’s best for me and my chances. I am going to enroll in a university for the 2011-2012 year and put in for a transfer in October 2011 as a Freshman in college… They inform transfer admittance starting in December. My EFC is 0 and I would be eligible to get full need met since Barnard meets 100% need. But based on the paragraph below, will Barnard not give me financial aid for applying for Spring 2012 enrollment? Are transfer students’ applications not need blind?</p>
<p>“Here at Barnard, admissions officers make decisions about a student’s eligibility for admission based on many factors, with a firewall separating those decisions from financial need or ability to pay. For our first-year applicants who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents, this firewall is opaque until the moment when an offer of admission is being assembled and a letter which stipulates the student’s financial aid award is added.
For transfer students, Barnard has limited funding available. Spring transfers are ineligible for financial aid and fall transfer applications are reviewed with an awareness that need may be a factor in a student’s ability to attend. Since international students are ineligible for federal aid, Barnard is limited in ability to provide institutional funding. Only 2-3 scholarships per year are generally available for international students.”</p>
<p>Also, even though it’s not needed, can I still send in high school teacher recommendations on top of the college professor evaluations? Will they review it?</p>
<p>“Need blind” is NOT the same as “meets need”.</p>
<p>“Need blind” means they don’t consider your finances in making a decision as to whether to admit you – it does NOT mean that a college will necessarily give aid. They can admit students without aid and leave it up to them to figure out where to get the resources to attend.</p>
<p>However, it appears from the sections you quoted that Barnard is NOT need-blind for transfer admission in any case. </p>
<p>“Spring transfers are ineligible for financial aid” means – whether they admit you or not, you cannot expect any financial aid.</p>
<p>“fall transfer applications are reviewed with an awareness that need may be a factor in a students ability to attend” - means that they consider ability to pay as a factor in whether they accept fall transfers. So they are far less likely to admit an applicant with -0- EFC at that point. </p>
<p>I think the problem is that Barnard’s financial aid budget is pretty tight, and they use it up pretty much with their commitments to incoming students. </p>
<p>I’m wondering why you think you are “not ready” to apply? Are you hoping that you will be able to strengthen your application with strong grades starting at another college? Or do you feel that you want some more time to mature before coming to NY for school? </p>
<p>I ask because maybe a better option for you-- if you really want Barnard - is to take a gap year, and apply for fall admission 2012 during the gap year. Then if you get admitted, you’d be guaranteed need-based aid for 4 years.</p>
<p>Otherwise, I think you really would be better off to focus on making the best of whatever college you start at. Obviously transfer is always an option, but I think you are shortchanging yourself and shortchanging your school if you start out with the idea that you are only there temporarily. Find a school that is is a good fit now, and do your best there – I think you will be happier in the long run with that attitude and approach.</p>
<p>When I talked to an admissions officer from Barnard, she said that although transfer admissions are not need-blind, they will still meet 100% of demonstrated need if you are accepted. Of course, some of that will undoubtedly be loans…</p>
<p>If that’s the case, then the only way to interpret that statement in conjunction with the written information on the Barnard web site is that spring transfers will not get financial aid (at least for that semester); and that the process for admitting fall transfers is need-aware – Barnard will give those students aid, but will consider their need as a factor in admissions. That would tend to mean that a high-need (0 or low EFC) student would be unlikely to be accepted as a transfer, unless she is very special (from the admissions point of view.</p>
<p>Barnard is need-blind, even for transfer students. Like almost all colleges, it doesn’t guarantee that your need will be met. But even if they can’t meet your need fully, they’ll still accept you and give you loans if needed. But be careful with Barnard’s financial aid. They seem to be sneaky by counting your future income as available student resources so it might be even worse for transfer students.
Source: [5</a> Ugly Tricks Financial Aid Offices Use](<a href=“http://hubpages.com/hub/Ugly-Tricks-Financial-Aid-Offices-Use]5”>http://hubpages.com/hub/Ugly-Tricks-Financial-Aid-Offices-Use)</p>
<p>Actually, from Barnard’s own statements reported above, it appears that their transfer admissions are NOT wholly need-blind, though that doesn’t mean they would consider need in all cases. It probably depends a lot on the status of their financial aid budget from year-to-year.</p>