<p>Does the financial status in any way affect the application? Do they take low income into account or is it separate?</p>
<p>Well, I'm not sure, but I don't think so. I think that the colleges split the ultra/very rich into a group of their own, and everyone else is in another single financial category. Once again I'm only a student so I'm unsure.</p>
<p>No. Harvard is need-blind, meaning they don't see your income bracket until you're accepted/rejected. This completely disproves the theory that Harvard just cares about kids with money - after all, they don't know rich from poor.</p>
<p>They do see parents' occupations, though. This is how they evaluate you based on your background. It helps to have only 1 parent working a low paying job, and still do well in school and get a job to help your family pay for rent.</p>
<p>So would it impress the adcoms for them to see a low income student be able to get pretty solid grades?</p>
<p>Of course!</p>
<p>Then how is this need blind if they see one's parents' background? If they knew what their profession was, wouldn't the adcoms know the income levels?</p>