<p>i am currently a junior in hs.. my senior friends who had almost the same gpa, same sats, same extracurric applied for UCLA; one with financial aid, one without. the one that wanted financial aid didn't get in while the other one did. Does applying without finacial aid increase your chances of getting in?</p>
<p>Yes, at least for schools that are need-aware. This means they look at your financial aid application (or lack thereof) when making a decision.</p>
<p>However, if you need financial aid to afford the school, it doesn’t make any sense to not apply for finaid just to get in and not be able to afford it.</p>
<p>tothesky is correct, in general most schools are need aware and so it does make a big difference. reality of life, money talks.</p>