Does it usually increase your chances of getting into a school if you do not need and financial aid or scholarships?
For need-blind schools, family contribution amount will not matter. However, for need-aware schools - the vast majority of the colleges - EFC DOES matter.
@viphan so your state schools like Indiana university and Florida university would fall under need aware?
Every school is obviously different. Most top, private schools are need blind to US citizens & eligible non-citizens. Most state schools pledge to meet the full need for their own in-state applicants.
Research or call individual school’s financial department to find out their own policies.
Most publics are need blind. Most schools are. So being a full payer only matters to ‘need aware’ school and even those do not make the distinctions entirely, it is more part of the balancing of the class and the budget.
Many state schools do not meet full need, the above statement is not accurate.
^ “Just three public schools met 100 percent of demonstrated financial need in 2013-2014, according to U.S. News data.”
You are right, I apologize for the confusion and the error.
@heat233: Why don’t you “do your homework” and invest the very small amount of time necessary to ascertain your specific target schools’ policies re “need blindness,” “need awareness,” and “100 percent of demonstrated need?” This information will be EASILY found on their admissions and financial assistance websites.
Many, if not most, colleges are at least somewhat need-aware. Your principal advantage in being full-pay is that you do not have to cast as wide a net in search of a college you will be able to afford. Students whose families will struggle with attendance costs have to look at more colleges where their stats are well above average, in order to qualify for merit aid.
Most colleges are need blind (because that would include the vast majority of public Us which don’t care if they gap a student).