I know that colleges would never admit to it but does applying for an application fee waiver give a bad first impression? Are you less likely to be accepted because it seems to the school that if you can’t afford an $80 application fee than you definitely won’t be able a $60,000 tuition?
Why should a school look down upon a student requesting a fee waiver? If you have the right stuff to get in, and your stats are wonderful, why would it matter?
Now if the school is need-aware, then it does matter. Find the schools that meet need and apply to those with fee waivers.
So applying for financial aid does make a difference in your application?
It depends on the school.
Some schools are “need-aware”. That means that the school only has so many dollars and can only fund so many students who are low-income. http://www.usnews.com/education/articles/2010/03/23/colleges-where-need-for-aid-can-hurt-admission-odds
Schools that are “need-blind” don’t consider your finances for admission.
Go to the web sites of each of the schools you plan to apply to this fall or whenever. Look at the financial aid pages and costs associated with admission. Look at the NPC (Net Price Calculator) for each school to get an estimate of what the cost will be for you. If the school is out of your price range and is need aware, you need to know that when you start to apply to your schools.
No, a fee waiver won’t make a difference. But make sure you’ve talked to FA about coming over as a transfer. Few transfers get merit aid and you need to see where you end up in the line for need based aid.
Is merit aid different than need based aid?
Merit aid is based on your grades and test stats. It doesn’t take your income into consideration. If you have great stats, go for it.
Need-based aid is based on your family income. The schools decide what THEY think you need, not what you may actually need.
Meeting full need is much more important than a school’s being need-aware or need-blind (which might affect your chance of admission, not how much you like a school or your match for each other).
What do you mean?
It means that if they admit you, they’ll meet 100% of your estimated need. So, if the school costs 64,000 and they estimate you can afford 14K, they’ll provide you with 50K in financial aid.
At some schools, they estimate your need… and then “gap” you, ie., don’t give you enough to attend. At some schools, it’s the situation for the bottom 20% students. At other schools, only 10 or 8 or even 5% have their need “met”. SO, if he school costs 64K and you can afford 14K, they may offer you 15K in financial aid and as for the rest, they don’t care, your problem, not theirs.
Merit aid depends on your test scores (essentially), so that even one more point may be worth thousands of dollars.