How much weight does your financial status carry?

<p>How true are the rumours that UPenn gives full paying students priority. Particularly in the case of internationals, their brochure even says that they have limited financial aid available for intls, I wouldn’t expect thsis from an IVY, what is the deal? From what I have heard, you stand a much greater chance if you are an international who can afford the full fee’s, how accurate is this - this sounds very similar to applying to UK uni’s.</p>

<p>This is NOT a Penn only thing.</p>

<p>how about if you applied for financial aid, but are most likely not going to get it...</p>

<p>Isn't this really a need blind question? Say what you mean.</p>

<p>hazmat, are you talking about only international students only or US students included when you say that this is not a Penn thing only?</p>

<p>I think he means international but there is talk that some selective institutions are really "not need-blind"</p>

<p>This alarms me, because I have been told this same thing previously. Penn is not necessarily need-blind (for US applicants)?</p>

<p>I've actually been wondering about this too...I'm a Canadian, so technically I'm covered under the "need-blind" section...but I don't need aid and didn't apply for it, and I'm hoping that helps me.</p>

<p>Penn is not need-blind for int'ls as far as I know....quite biased like Cornell and Brown</p>

<p>KRabble - Well, yes and no. The better endowed the school, and the Ivys are in this category, the more they can afford to be truly need blind. Most schools, though, do want to "manage" enrollment, and they do this in various(sneaky) ways. ED is a big one. They know that people who apply ED are not going to be able to compare aid packages. They have other tricks too. See the CC thread on the recent Atlantic Monthly article, which kind of debunks the need blind myth the schools like to spread - they talk about things like marketing to certain zip codes, and more.</p>

<p>Since you come from a school that regularly sends lots of kids to Penn, and you are applying ED, it should be a non-issue for you. </p>

<p>International is another story. They practically come out and say it, in that case. Very little aid available to international students who can't pay the full amount.</p>

<p>Thanks for the clarification. My parents have worked out a plan of our own in order to pay for my full tuition and other fees, and I hope my colleges will be able to realize that.</p>

<p>Another question, when a school says that their average Financial Aid is 100%, does that mean that they are capable of creating a plan for that admittee so he/she can attend by paying just as much as they need and by working a job on campus to also sustain the financial aid? Why do some schools have an average Financial Aid benefit of less than 100%? For instance, if a school has an 80% financial aid, how do they expect the student to provide that last 20% if they are virtually using all of the funds and working in everyway to pay off the first 80%? Must they take out a loan by themselves?</p>

<p>I was speaking of Internationals specifically and I know that other schools take this same position......not much money for them.</p>