<p>While it's generally more difficult to ask for financial aid as an international applicant, need-blind universities seem unaffected by the current financial crisis. MIT has admitted at least one male and one female Chinese students in Class of 2013, whose parents I know are definitely wealthy even in US standard. However, they did get free-ride cuz there is a LOOPHOLE. Their expected family contribution is 0. Ironically, I know the guy's father is Math professor. It's ridiculous that professor does not want to pay for his child's education. Since financial aid office has little clue of the family's income, they always meet the students' needs. I strongly suggest those schools should be need-aware to prevent some "fraud". That money should be used in merit scholarship, renovation or other more meaningful ways.</p>
<p>???
It sounds to me like you’re confusing the terms “need-blind” and “meets 100% need.” The two are not the same. Being need-blind does not mean demonstrated financial need is met or unmet; it just means that need or lack thereof is not a factor in the admissions process.</p>
<p>There is no such thing as an “international loophole” either. If US residents mis-represent their earnings and same are not verified AND a school chooses to meet demonstrated need, the same can happen whether student is national or international. In fact, usually there is a manual verification process that is more time consuming and rigorous for International students. If MIT didn’t engage in it, then they didn’t do their due dilligence.</p>
<p>At any rate, my point is that there is no connection between being “need-aware” and “fraud prevention.” To be “need aware” signifies a possibly socioeconomically discriminating admissions process.</p>
<p>I understand your frustration when you see the system exploited, and in that I share. But when you protest or opine, just make sure you have the concepts straight.
Cheers,
K</p>
<p>Thanks for pointing the confusion out! it’s all about “meeting 100% need”. But for domestic students, family income can be roughly estimated by tax payment. This way is not applicable to international students. Maybe financial aid office should take a look at parent’s occupation and employer to determine the percentage of meeting the student’s need rather than blindly giving grants to those wealthy students. In short, money should be used to help the most needy students and to lessen the social-economical gaps.</p>
<p>Financial fraud is not uncommon among students of less-developed countries, even those whose families <em>are</em> notably wealthy. I am particularly aware of Vietnam’s situation because I frequent a popular site for Vietnamese applicants.</p>
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[QUOTE=A Vietnamese full-pay student on FA fraud]
What I find ridiculous is that a large percentage of Vietnamese students assumed that the colleges here are unaware of the fact that applicants chose not to acknowledge a certain part of their parent’s income in order to milk as much money out of the school as they can, some even brag about having successfully negotiated the travel funding from the school as if it were a merit of their brilliance. The truth is, just because they are half way around the world doesn’t mean they’re blind. In a debate tournament, a member of the opponent team from Yale mentioned that in this financial crisis, some schools are building a network that links financial applications of their applicants in order reduce the plague of financial aid swindling. I know, there are people who aren’t qualified for financial aid, even with Yale.
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<p>While a doctor may appear wealthy in your country, by the standards of US colleges a doctor’s child in many countries would be entitled to a lot of aid. The schools look at each family’s income, taxes, assets and many other things. Unless kids you know are lying, they are just getting what a domestic student with the same financial story will get.</p>
<p>If they begin to see a consistent problem, they’ll probably take some additional steps. UCLA had a lot of problems with grad students from certain countries cheating on the TOEFL exam (by having a proxy take the exam) back in the late 70’s/early80’s – and they put some alternative assessments in place on campus; doing poorly on them meant that you didn’t get a TA position and the associated stipend and fee waiver.</p>
<p>well, the thing is that students can appear poor, by saying their family income is much lower than it actually is.</p>