<p>On the Common Application, I marked that I was applying for financial aid. However, this was iffy as my parents and I knew that there was a high probability that we would not qualify for need-based aid. Therefore, it was not an absolute decision when I marked that choice - I only did so as a precautionary measure.</p>
<p>I filled out my FAFSA around early February and sent it to all my schools...UC's, Princeton, other Ivies, USC, and Stanford. The estimated EFC was high as expected...85K. So my parents and I decided to not do anything about applying for financial aid to just save time and energy, and so that I can therefore more productively spend time on applying for merit-based scholarships. </p>
<p>It is now a week and a half before the decisions for Ivies, USC, and Stanford come out. I checked my USConnect and they said all my required financial aid information was received (I guess submitting only the FAFSA was sufficient). I also called UPenn a week and a half ago asking if I need to submit other things besides the FAFSA such as the Penn FA Supplement, despite the fact that I know that I won't qualify for aid. The financial aid officer took a look at my information in their financial aid database, and he said that I was "fine" and "didn't need to worry" because I don't have to apply for need-based aid.</p>
<p>Now I am seeing a bunch of these threads, such as for Princeton, that people are getting missing financial aid document notifications. I did not get anything. Could this be a sure sign of rejection? Or could the lack thereof be a result of the fact that the schools recognize my high EFC and that I probably didn't submit anything anymore as a result of that? </p>
<p>I am worried because after skimming many threads regarding this topic it is obvious that there is a significant positive correlation between a missing financial aid notification near the decisions date and an acceptance.</p>
<p>Here’s a phrase you are going to both hear and use a lot in your university years: ‘Correlation does not necessarily mean causation’. The release of admission information is extremely confidential and I am fairly certain that the admissions department would have picked up on this trend if it were fact - and adjusted practices accordingly - long before the rest of us clued in.</p>
<p>It is absolutely true that correlation may not necessarily imply causation. However, the number of admitted students who possess missing financial aid documents may not that great – maybe like 10% of the applicant pool (100 or so people)? It isn’t a situation that the majority of admitted applicants (or simply the majority of admitted and non-admitted applicants in general) is facing because most of them will have submitted all their financial aid documents and thus there would be no way to gauge them in this circumstance.</p>
<p>Could the fact that such a significant number of people here on CC who received a missing financial aid document notification and are later accepted be a very telling phenomenon that may in fact reveal a causation effect, since this number is indeed quite significant relative to the very small minority of people out of the larger admitted applicant pool who don’t submit all their documents? At the same time with that being said, since it is only a very small backdrop out of the great admitted applicant pool in which such a situation would occur, the phenomenon also would not be particularly compelling enough so that the admissions department would notice and resolve the trend.</p>
<p>“I filled out my FAFSA around early February and sent it to all my schools…UC’s, Princeton, other Ivies, USC, and Stanford. The estimated EFC was high as expected…85K. So my parents and I decided to not do anything about applying for financial aid to just save time and energy” ----You filled out the FASFA, but apparently didn’t follow up? That’s kind of confusing. I think a call explaining that you will not need financial aide is not only prudent but perhaps will be appreciated by the university by way of a preference. (We know the schools are need blind but for you a more relevant question is that are they no need sightful)?</p>
<p>So then is the suggestion that the Princeton financial aid office only contacts students whose documentation is missing that have been admitted? That would seem to be a very intentional practice on their behalf…in other words the information doesn’t just “slip out”…it is purposefully done. Based on our interactions with the PFA office and the admissions department (both of which have been impressively professional and helpful) I remain doubtful, but I suppose we will see a clear trend over time without exceptions if it is indeed the case.</p>
<p>OREngineering: If your FAFSA indicates an EFC of $85K, the financial aid office could very well have figured out that there is no reason to ask for anything else from you.</p>
<p>Regardless, worrying about whether you get in won’t affect the outcome. You’ll have an answer soon.</p>
<p>@sosomenza: I did follow up - called and emailed the financial aid offices at all my schools.</p>
<p>@cantiger: Hmm yes we shall see</p>
<p>@Boondocks: Lol yeah this is nerve-wracking</p>
<p>Should be fine. I didn’t get this type of thing from places that I was eventually accepted to</p>