<p>For top schools (like HYPC), how important is income when they make a final decision, especially in the early rounds? Of course they make ostensible claims that they are fair and economically egalitarian, but I find it hard to believe that half the class at these top schools pay full freight while only 10% (I'm quoting the yale website here but cannot immediatly recall where I read it) get near full rides. My suspicions are confirmed by the general trend in the results threads where
higher income students get in more often. Could someone clarify this? (And yes, I do have friends that got into ivys with free tuition but they were the valedictorian/intelsts/siemenssemifinalist/presidentof4clubs/36ACT type kids)</p>
<p>The admissions office does not have access to any information about your income (unless you include it in your essays or are the child of such a high-profile donor that your name is well known). But it’s pretty easy to explain why rich kids finish first more often. In general, they have access to far more resources to help them succeed academically, and they can afford to participate in expensive extracurriculars (volunteer trips to Africa, etc) that make them seem more unique. Plus, it’s not too much of a stretch to say that rich parents, having gone through institutions of higher education themselves, are more knowledgeable about college and better prepare their children. Perhaps there are even genetic factors.</p>
<p>“For top schools (like HYPC), how important is income when they make a final decision, especially in the early rounds?” </p>
<p>As an insider, I would say none at all. The resources these schools bring to bear to admit kids of lesser means is astounding. Plus all of them highly value SES diversity and many take part in Questbridge. To be frank, these schools are wealthy enough to wholly fill their classes with FinAid students if they thought it was necessary.</p>
<p>" I find it hard to believe that half the class at these top schools pay full freight while only 10% (I’m quoting the yale website here but cannot immediatly recall where I read it) get near full rides." </p>
<p>Approx 65% of Yalies are on some FinAid. That means 35% of them have mom/dad write a check for the full tuition/room &board each year w/o blinking an eye. I don’t know what is hard to believe about this whatsoever.</p>
<p>"My suspicions are confirmed by the general trend in the results threads where
higher income students get in more often. "</p>
<p>Clarkandfire answered your question and hopefully corrected your thinking.</p>
<p>"(And yes, I do have friends that got into ivys with free tuition but they were the valedictorian/intelsts/siemenssemifinalist/presidentof4clubs/36ACT type kids)"</p>
<p>The Ivies do not grant merit scholarships. Either these kids financial backgrounds mean they tap into the generous FinAid policies of these schools or they were the recipients of outside scholarships. The Ivies don’t woo kids with scholarships based on their academic achievement.</p>