<p>For a typical, middle-class admit how good is the need-based aid? I know BU doesn’t pledge to meet full need.
Also how competitive are the merit scholarships? I believe the levels vary from half to full tuition.</p>
<p>The financial aid can vary a good amount. In general, the financial aid office meets a higher percentage of your need the stronger an applicant you are. If you’re barely being admitted at all, they probably won’t come near 100%, but if you’re a good applicant that they really want, they might meet 90-100%. </p>
<p>Personally, the FAFSA form calculated my EFC as 15000, and they have me paying between 19-20k out of pocket, so that’s pretty close, especially if you take into account that they calculate the need differently. But, I had higher test scores/rank/etc than average (35 ACT, 2/~180) </p>
<p>This isn’t a hard and fast rule though, and they definitely have discretion on how they implement it. I’ve met people who didnt have the test scores I did that got really good aid, and others with better that got less.</p>
<p>is this accurate?
[Freshmen</a> Who Received BU Need-Based Scholarships Financial Assistance | Boston University](<a href=“http://www.bu.edu/finaid/apply/incoming/freshman-receiving-scholarships/]Freshmen”>http://www.bu.edu/finaid/apply/incoming/freshman-receiving-scholarships/)</p>
<p>Yes, it is accurate. The better your stats AND the lower your family income, the greater are your chances of getting a good financial aid package. But none of the percentages are 100% so nothing is guaranteed. </p>
<p>If you are an average applicant from a middle income family, your parents will likely have to write out some big checks or take out some big loans.</p>
<p>Full tuition merit scholarships tend to go to applicants who are cross admits to top 10 universities. You have to be in the top 1 or 2 percent of applicants.</p>