<p>I have heard that colleges are more favorable to admitting you if you answer NO to the question on most college applications: Are you APPLYING FOR FINANCIAL AID? I do not feel that is a fair question and it puts those with financial aid need at a disadvantage no matter what colleges say about being need blind- they want the money $$$$
So can I answer No I am not applying for financial aid and then still apply for financial aid before March anyway?</p>
<p>If a college says they are need blind, they are. Colleges aren’t going to blatantly lie to you and tell you that they don’t look at an answer to a question if they do. What they mean is that they can, and will, still gauge your income from the rest of your application. You list your parents’ occupations and employment status, your school, your zip code, and your ECs on the Common App, all of which give the admissions officers hints as to how wealthy your family is. From that, they can pretty accurately guess which applicants in the pool are going to need the most aid. The way you answer that question (are you applying for financial aid) does not matter at need blind schools, and you really shouldn’t lie on your applications. However, need aware admissions is a different story.</p>
<p>Frankly, you need to enter this with a minimum amount of trust that the college isn’t going to screw you. They can admit all they want if they are need-blind. The issue is what can they do to assist you to getting the fin aid that’s needed. Many colleges are up front about what internal fin aid they have open. Once that pot of money is awarded, that’s that. However, that doesn’t preclude them from admitting you – what they are hoping is that you will be lucky and score good loans, grants and outside scholarships. This doesn’t cost them anything (thus no need to lie about being need-blind) – and they at least get to try to persuade you to attend (with your pot of outside fin aid and outside scholarships). They WANT to admit you – you have the money – even if it’s from outside sources.</p>
<p>and please DO NOT WRITE IN ALL CAPITALS. IT IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING AND RUDE ON INTERNET FORUMS.</p>
<p>Many colleges will not let you apply for aid if your application stated you were not going to do so. Certainly most of the aid will be gone before they get to your re-application. The one thing you CAN do is apply for federal aid, even if you stated no. But that would only net you a potential $11-12K, a Pell grant if you are very low income and a $5500 loan.</p>
<p>Only about 60-80 colleges out of 3,700 “meet need” and not all of these are need blind.
In addition, many need-blind schools don’t care about your ability to pay since they don’t meet need and thus paying isn’t their problem, but yours.
If you check “no”, you can still apply to FAFSA aid, but that’s only $5,500 in loans (+ Pell if your family makes less than 30,000 a year) whichin most states isn’t enough to pay for tuition even if you commute. The #1 source of aid is the college itself which is why they need to know whether you need financial aid or not.
(Checking “no” means you won’t be able to apply for institutional aid, ie., the source of most financial aid. However, you can check “no” for financial aid, and “yes” for “merit aid”.)</p>
<p>You asked this same question a couple of weeks ago, and the advice will not change…</p>
<p>What good would it do you to be accepted by a school that you cannot afford to attend? If you are accepted and do not get aid, then you have really not gained anything, and have wasted money on the application.</p>
<p>Most applications have you sign a statement that all of the information that you are providing is true and accurate. You are stating that you WILL NOT apply for financial aid. Stating that and then applying could be considered fraudulent and get you rescinded it the school chose to get picky. And in many schools, once having “truthfully” stated that you are not applying for aid would mean that you would never be considered for aid.</p>
<p>Do yourself a favor and be honest on your applications. Look at schools that do offer the financial aid that you need, and then work with them so that you will receive that aid. Have you gone to the financial aid threads and looked at the ones listing schools with generous/guaranteed merit scholarships, or those promising to meet need (as the school defines your need, anyway)?</p>
<p>Many colleges have no seperated application for financial aids, so you may not be able to change your mind even if you submit FAFSA afterward.</p>
<p>It is an absolutely terrible idea to lie about something this important on an application. Colleges that are need blind won’t care how you answer it. And if you apply to a school that isn’t need blind they may not be able to find the money you need to attend if you were not honest at the start.</p>
<p>No you cannot do that. Federal aid is essentially dispersed by the colleges, it is functionally a joint venture if you will between government and college institutions. On the FAFSA you have to list 10 colleges to send the finacial aid to. If the college does not get the info, they cannot award you the federal aid due. So no there is no way to do that and still get the aid. If they advertize as need blind, trust that they are. </p>