<p>There may be very significant differences in the out-of-pocket costs for the same student offered acceptance at several different “meets full need” schools. Someone posted their results a few years ago, listing their net price after financial aid offers at about half a dozen schools that all claim to meet full need.</p>
<p>The differences come in:
- How the institution defines your need. Schools that use their own institutional formulas may come up with a very different calculation of what your need is.
- How much of the aid package is grants vs. loans. There is a huge difference between offering to lend you $20K/year and actually giving you a $20K/year scholarship.</p>