<p>This really only applies to schools who release admissions and financial aid decisions simultaneously, such as the Ivies. My parents and I just finished all of our financial aid forms: and it was a lot. We sent in a ton of information (as I'm sure everyone has). It must take a long time for colleges to look through and make decisions based on all of the financial information provided. So, do colleges decide who they want to admit/defer and only look at those students information? If so, why don't they notify about admission earlier and then financial aid later? It would put a lot student's minds at ease just knowing if they were admitted or not, regardless of financial aid.</p>
<p>I think it’s actually pretty fast to present a financial aid package to an applicant. The process is heavily formulaic.</p>
<p>No. They look at the information at the same time. Otherwise, you are correct that they could not release the financial aid awards at or about the same time as admissions decisions.</p>
<p>There are certain applicants that are a definite “no” from the get-go; I’m sure that the admissions office tells the FA office not to bother looking at the applications. </p>
<p>Otherwise, it’s a simultaneous process.</p>