<p>Hello everyone!</p>
<p>I am applying for financial aid and I was wondering whether it matters to admissions officers at need-aware colleges (when they make their decision whether or not to accept you) how much financial aid you need - or does it only matter whether you are applying for financial aid, but not how much you need?</p>
<p>That is, all else being equal, is an applicant that needs a financial aid package of 50,000$ at a disadvantage over an applicant who only needs (let's say) 10,000$?</p>
<p>I've always assumed neither would have an advantage over the other, but I can't really pinpoint where I got that idea from.</p>
<p>I would imagine that need aware schools might care how much a student needs. After all, if one student needs $50k per year ($200k total) and another only needs $40k total), then by accepting the second student, the school can afford to give aid to more students.</p>
<p>I would also imagine that a student’s stats may come into play as well. If a student’s stats are very high for the school, then the school may think the $200k is worth it (but not for a student with lesser stats).</p>
<p>Yes, how much you need is a major consideration. Knocking off $10k is something many colleges do in the name of merit aid. A student needing $40K to attend is a much different thing.</p>
<p>I think that’s pretty much the whole idea behind “need aware”.</p>