<p>He said if the university he’s applying to “could meet 100% need” LIKE harvard and MIT. </p>
<p>Okay I’m done :)</p>
<p>OP, as mentioned, a school that guarentees to meet 100% need might not need it in the way you expect it to. First, they may determine that your expected family contribution (EFC) is more than you can actually contribute- this verrry frequently the case. You may want to try out collegeboard’s EFC estimator to get a better idea. </p>
<p>Second, meeting 100% need doesn’t mean they are just going to shell out all the money you need. A chunk of that need may be “met” with loans, which is a really deceptive way of “meeting” need, and a way that that vast majority of colleges interpret “meeting” need. When the package rolls in, you could end up with a decent amount of money from the college and then 3 loans and a work-study on top of that just to meet “need,” and then STILL have to find a way come up with whatever they believe your expected contribution is.</p>