<p>If I am a student who will be relying heavily on financial aid to attend college, to how many schools should I apply? I've heard a lot of the whole "2 reaches, 2 matches, 2 safeties" deal, but is that really good if I need financial aid? It seems as though match schools would be the worst financial options, because they are expensive in tuition, but they don't have large endowments (and can't give need-based aid), and the applicants are too close to me to distinguish me enough so I can get merit aid. So wouldn't it better to apply to more reaches and more safeties?</p>
<p>Well it depends on what your personal reaches and matches are. But yes, generally more selective colleges give better financial aid. </p>
<p>I think your logic is sound. Safeties can get you merit money while reaches can get you better financial aid.</p>
<p>You should apply to at least 10 to compare financial aid offers.</p>
<p>I had personally considered 7 schools. When I tell people in person that I think I might apply to 7 schools, they’re all like, “Whoa! 7!!?!??! That’s a lot!” It really isn’t a lot by CC standards, but that’s another story. But I have to keep in mind that all those applications are expensive, especially after one includes all the score reports and other things that go along with the applications.</p>
<p>Does anyone have experience with good financial aid packages from match schools? I don’t think match schools would be able to give much worthwhile aid, but I hope I’m wrong.</p>
<p>This whole discussion depends on a lot of different factors. If your family income is below a certain number, some schools will automatically give you a financial aid package that doesn’t require money from your parents. These schools as a group are pretty hard to get into though so it depends on your application strength. </p>
<p>Also, the thing about those not-well-endowed colleges is that if you have a good state university, you’re better off just going there instead. And if your application is strong enough to get you into one of the well-endowed colleges, you will almost definitely get adequate financial aid.</p>
<p>There is at least one thread dedicated to finding full-ride scholarships.</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-i-ve-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=what+I’ve+learned+about[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parents-forum/148852-what-i-ve-learned-about-full-ride-scholarships.html?highlight=what+I’ve+learned+about</a></p>
<p>I would suggest that you read through that one, and PM the contributors who seem to have ideas that would apply to your situation.</p>
<p>You also may want to make an appointment with the counselor(s) at the transfer office at your closest community college. If money is really tight, starting there and then transferring for your last two years may be your best option overall.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>Depending on your family’s income you can also apply for fee waivers for application fees and College Board fees. I think some schools will also pay expenses for you to visit. Your counselor should be able to help you with the fee waivers. I would suggest keeping an open mind, applying to a variety of schools and not getting too attached to any one school. The most heart-breaking posts to read on here are the ones where the student got accepted to his/her dream school but can’t afford to attend. Also, there are lots of scholarship and essay contests you can enter to get some outside scholarship money. Fastweb and other internet sites list lots of possibilities. It sounds like you have a realistic handle on the situation which is great. Good luck!</p>
<p>If you are going to need financial aid (need-based), make sure some if not most of your schools meet 100% of need. REALLY. 100% need met schools are AMAZING and it will give you more choices- you won’t have to be restricted by bad financial aid packages.</p>
<p>I disagree that two safeties is enough. If your family will qualify for need based aid you need to apply to schools that meet 100% of need. You can find this information by doing some internet homework.
If you will not qualify for a lot of need based aid but still need financial aid, you need to apply to schools which will give you merit aid. That means selecting schools that are looking for students with your profile. For instance, a school in a different area geographically that is looking to expand its diversity in that way. California kid going to school in New England that has a lot of New England students, NOT a top tier school would be one example.
Do some searching for threads about merit aid.</p>
<p>I’m trying to not make this specific to my situation, but in my case, money isn’t so tight that I’ll need to attend community college or get fee waivers, but my family can’t pay for very much of the college cost. I will qualify for very good financial aid from any college that meets 100% of need.</p>
<p>I’ve read that thread about merit aid before, and it’s very helpful. But should a person seeking merit aid apply to a bunch of colleges? And what level of college gives me a realistic chance of getting aid? Some schools that give merit aid only give a few worthwhile scholarships (match schools), but I don’t want to go to a local state college when I can get financial help for something better.</p>
<p>In doing my own research, I’ve also found that it’s worthwhile to analyze the state of your family’s assets long before filling out the FAFSA. In my case, my parents have money placed in such a way that it will create a falsely high EFC. Even if it costs money to move assets, it may end up saving the family money in the end.</p>
<p>bump (10 char)</p>
<p>By the way, financial aid offers can vary quite a bit between schools even if they all have the same financial information from you.</p>
<p>Unless you find a financial/admissions safety that you feel is right for you, you should apply to as many schools that you can without causing you too much stress, and without sacrificing much quality in the app process. It is a delicate balance and what is too much for one person is just fine for another. You may want to apply to a combination of school types. The 100% of need met schools with generous grants are in a category, then the generous merit aid schools are in another. Then you have schools that have low sticker prices. You should touch each category.</p>
<p>Talk with your school counselor about whether you are eligible for any College Board or NACAC fee waivers for applications. Many schools also waive fees automatically for certain things, like applying before a certain date, or online, and some will give automatic fee waivers to students from certain income levels. </p>
<p>But, don’t forget there are other costs to applying to college, such as having to submit test scores (some fee waivers for those as well if you used a fee waiver to take the SAT), retake SAT/ACT, some types of financial aid applications (i.e., the CSS Profile, taken at about 250 colleges), phone calls, stamps, visits, etc. It can add up. I work with low income students and advise them to max out on fee waivers, but to also be realistic about how many schools they can afford to apply to – a good, solid, well-planned list can help keep application costs under control. If you’re coming from a low income family, spending $500 or $1000 to apply to 15 or 20 schools may not make sense (or be possible). So, you will have to plan carefully.</p>
<p>That said, it is incorrect to say that your best chance of financial aid is going to come from a reach school. Match and safety schools can have nice endowments and good financial aid too. 
In fact, in many cases, just the opposite of the “reach is best” concept will be true. This is because many schools these days practice financial aid leveraging - in other words, they offer their best financial aid and merit scholarships to students that are the most desireable. Frequently, that means students who are towards the top of the admissions pile or have something else to offer that the individual college finds highly desireable. So, often, match schools and safeties can be a good bet for a good financial aid package – but the key is figuring out which schools (whether match, safety or reach) are going to most want what you have to offer.</p>
<p>It is true that some highly selective schools have recently revamped their financial aid policies, but don’t assume that all of the policies are the same. A website called Projectonstudentdebt.org had an interesting comparison of how the “revised” policies of various schools will pan out for students from different family income levels. If you have the stats for some of the top schools that have revamped their financial aid policies in your family’s favor, by all means, apply to them! But, since competition for a spot at many of these schools is tough, make sure you have a back up plan as well, i.e., schools where you have a more realistic shot at being admitted.</p>
<p>It’s also important to understand some basic terminology: Need Aware, Need Blind, financial aid gapping, and Guarantees to Meet 100% of Need.</p>
<p>Need Aware schools are ones that consider student need for a small percentage of applicants. Typically, those applicants fall into the bottom half of the applicant pool. Most openly need aware schools, however, guarantee to meet the full need of everyone admitted. </p>
<p>Need Blind schools are schools which <em>technically</em> don’t consider the financial need of students. The vast majority of schools will say they are need blind. Sounds good, right? Well, just that they don’t consider need in admitting you doesn’t mean they’ll give you the money you need to attend. In fact, quite a few “need blind” schools “gap” students – in other words, they don’t meet full demonstrated need for a certain percentage. Or, they may offer a financial aid package to some students that is so heavy on loans that it isn’t realistic. Again, many schools that say they are “need blind” practice financial aid leveraging – so, your chances of being gapped at many schools will be lower if you’re towards the top of the applicant pile, in other words, at match and safety schools.</p>
<p>Finally, there are about 50 or so schools that guarantee to meet 100% of need for all students. They’re not all the most selective schools in the country, either. For any student needing financial aid, it’s a good idea to include as many of these schools as possible on your list (if you PM me, I have a list of these schools). But, remember: your definition of meeting your need and the schools can be different (not to mention that your full need can sometimes be met with a large amount of loans!)</p>
<p>Which brings us to the most important thing you should do before you even begin to consider which schools to apply to. And, that is, do your research on what your family’s EFC (Estimated Family Contribution, the amount schools will expect your family to pay) is, and also do your research on the in’s and out’s of financial aid at various schools. The first step for the EFC is to complete the FAFSA4caster.ed.gov – while that will only tell you your EFC as determined by Federal methodology, it will give you a start on figuring out what types of money you’ll likely be offered if you choose your list carefully. (About 250 schools also use their own methodology, institutional methodology, which includes more data on family income and assets – it is a good idea to learn about the differences between the two now as well).</p>
<p>Again, PM if you want the list of 100% need guarantee schools, and also for a list of references to help you and your parents get started understanding the financial aid process.</p>
<p>If your parents have money placed incorrectly, it may be too late to fix it. I have heard that you need to fix that before the student reaches 9th or 10th grade. Still, it may be worth strategic planning even now to change that.</p>