<p>Can it help you in the sense that it might make you seem more middle class? I mean, psychologically, wouldn't an admissions officer be more disinclined to admit a student from a wealthy, upper class family who never had to worry about finances, never bothered to get a job, had plenty of money for SAT or other classes. </p>
<p>Or maybe I'm reading too much into this...</p>
<p>^also, could not selecting that you're a candidate for need-based financial aid work against you?</p>
<p>Most colleges claim that they are need blind, and I'm pretty sure they honor what they say in this case. For example, I just applied to Cornell today (ED), and they specify for your materials to be sent to three different places within the school. Your common app is sent to one building, your supplement is sent to another building, and your financial aid information is sent to another department at the building where you send your supplement to. I think that this process was designed so that the adcoms will only see your common app and supplement. This may be just speculation, but it does make sense if you think about it.</p>
<p>Some schools are 'need blind' and many others are not. If you are applying to a school that is not need blind, then needing financial aid will hurt you, while having full funds to pay will help you. At need blind schools there will not be any psychological advantage. The financial aid process is separate from the admissions process. </p>
<p>In any case, what does this matter for you? Everyone should fill out the financial aid papers unless they are very clearly beyond any aid and have run the numbers themselves to verify this. Many people do not apply because they wrongly assume that they will not qualify. If there is a slight chance you can qualify you would be a fool not to apply for Federal Govt Funds.</p>