conflicting advice about applying for FA

<p>Hi everyone - I've been lurking here for a couple of years and have learned much from reading, thanks so much. Our oldest is now a senior and working on his college applications, so now it's my turn to have a question for the experts here.</p>

<p>From the online calculators at each of our son's target college websites, our family will not qualify for any need-based aid. However, our kid's counselor advised him to apply for aid (she wrote: " I always tell parents that even if they believe they will not qualify for need based aid to apply for it because you never know!"). On the other hand, I have read some comments here that by <em>not</em> applying for aid, our kid may be a little more attractive as a potential full-pay student at some colleges. So my question is: for the following schools, is there any, even slight, benefit in admissions for selecting no financial aid:</p>

<ul>
<li>Carnegie Mellon (computing science) </li>
<li>Pennsylvania (engineering) </li>
<li>MIT (engineering)</li>
</ul>

<p>These are the 3 reaches on the son's list - his academics match the middle/top of their admissions stats but of course admission is very competitive and will probably be determined by consideration of his extracurricular activities and other factors. Will not applying for FA have any (even small) positive impact on his admission consideration? (The other 7 colleges on the son's list are academic and financial safeties, so I am not concerned about them.)</p>

<p>I think the comment you are hearing is from schools that are need aware in their admission. In those schools, students who can pay full freight may have an advantage. In that situation, though, it wouldnt matter if you had applied, it would matter if you had significant need. CMU, Penn and MIT are need blind anyway. </p>

<p>The only advantage I can think of for not applying is your time. There is a fair amount of paperwork. </p>

<p>But my advice would be the same as your counselor’s…apply for FA, especially freshman year, even if you dont think you will get it.</p>

<p>Check your colleges. Some do NOT allow students to apply for institutional need based aid in subsequent years unless the student applies (note…applies…not receives, accepts or qualifies for aid) as an incoming freshman. </p>

<p>You don’t qualify NOW, but stuff happens. What if the main breadwinner loses his/her job for some reason in a subsequent year?</p>

<p>For need blind schools, it doesn’t make a tad of difference in admissions whether you have financial need…or not…for admissions purposes because the admissions office does not see or have your specific financials.</p>

<p>Also, the tip for being a full pay might be there for a need aware school, but it is not likely to sway a student whose stats are not in the range of accepted students.</p>

<p>Thank you so much for your quick responses!</p>

<p>Thumper, you make a good point about possible future need. I will suggest to the son that he apply for financial aid at all his colleges with his applications.</p>

<p>The only one I am still uncertain about is CMU. I found this on the CMU admissions page:
“Carnegie Mellon follows a need-blind admission policy. We don’t admit students based on their family’s ability to pay for their education. Applying for financial aid will have no effect on your chances for admission. It may have an effect, however, on which students we’re able to admit from the waiting list.”</p>

<p>From CMU’s 2012 common data set info, 3664 students were offered the wait list, 1296 accepted their wait list slot, and 97 were admitted.</p>

<p>According to Naviance, the son’s academics (GPA, SAT, ad ACT) are above average for students from his school who were accepted to CMU in the last 5 years. But CMU computing science is very competitive for admissions - is their wait list policy something we should consider here? CMU is in the son’s top 2 of the 10 colleges to which he’s applying.</p>

<p>Both are good suggestions, but you do need to find out if the school is need-blind for admission first.</p>

<p>the reason that the ability to pay becomes a factor in the wait list process is because the school has pretty much exhausted its financial aid budget during the ED/RD process. Since you state that you will most likely not be eligible for need based aid, it is not going to hurt you in the process. </p>

<p>You are way overthinking this. Even if you did apply for aid, in the waitlist process at CUM, between 2 similarly qualified students the tip would go to the student who needs less of the school’s resources. This means that if your son does not need any money and Egbert from Podunk needs $40k, the tip would go to your kid.</p>

<p>There are many schools that have different need based aid and admissions policies for wait list students. BUT didn’t you say you do NOT have need? If that is the case, CMU would be more likely to admit your son off of the wait list because your financial aid application forms will confirm that you are a full pay family.</p>

<p>If your child is put on CMU’s waitlist, then call them and tell them that you’re withdrawing his FA app, and that you’ll be full pay…if that is your concern.</p>

<p>Are you willing to be full pay? IF so, then great. If not, then this may all be moot.</p>

<p>Thanks for all the additional responses. Mom2collegekids, that’s a great suggestion, thanks!</p>

<p>What difference would withdrawing the finaid application make! When CMU looks at it, they will KNOW the family is full pay. Many families complete these applications, especially the FAFSA for Direct Loan purposes.</p>

<p>Okay, I know I’m overthinking this, so thanks for your patience! Neither I nor the husband attended college in the US - we are learning a lot going through this with our oldest.</p>

<p>Though most schools are need blind for admissions, they are not always need blind for all students. international students, wait listed students, transfer students, non traditional programs at the school, all are examples of need aware categories at schools that are otherwise need blind for admissions.</p>