<p>I was told by an admission person at a college (st olaf) recently the college requires the css profile completed when applying. </p>
<p>I am very new to the search process (I am a parent), and wondered whether financial status of the family, and the family/student's ability to pay for college, plays a role in college's acceptance decision process or not, and how big a role this plays. </p>
<p>This question applies to any time during the admissions time (ED, EA, or RD).</p>
<p>By law it plays no role</p>
<p>The vast majority of private colleges and universities in the US are not need blind, and generally need-blind schools are the most prestigious and selective schools. If you want to find out if a given school is need-blind, go to <a href="http://www.xap.com/GoToCollege/%5B/url%5D">http://www.xap.com/GoToCollege/</a>. Search for the college you want under "search by name." Click on the "U" button under campus tour, next to the name of the college you want. Click on the "admissions" button under campus tours. Scroll down to "First Time Freshman Selection Process." There will be a line that says "Admissions is need blind:" followed by either "yes" or "no." Yes means that applying for financial aid will not influence whether your child is selected (though it does not mean that the school will meet all of your need), while no means that applying for financial aid could lessen your child's chances of acceptance. Saint Olaf, for instance is need-blind.</p>
<p>thanks for the replies and the link. One question tho: Why did the Olaf admin say I needed to fill out a CSS profile before applying if Olaf is a need blind school?</p>
<p>I wonder if she assumed that we were going to apply for financial aid? Then the question is: isn't financial aid appplication done AFTER the application to the school?</p>
<p>Or is it done at the same time?</p>
<p>I would think it would be done AFTER, or independent of, the school application, for a truly need-blind school.</p>
<p>I note that Washington Univ. in St. Louis is not needs blind. I wonder how much difference, not applying for financial aid, has on the admission process ?</p>
<p>I don't know much about Olaf admission, but there are a couple of possibilities. A CSS profile may be necessary for consideration for merit scholarships. Possibly, as you said, they assumed you were applying for financial aid, in which case they may require FA forms (or at least the profile) to be submitted at the same time as an application (earlier doesn't really make sense).</p>
<p>Most colleges in the US are NOT need blind.</p>
<p>But most TOP colleges are.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.wfu.edu/finaid/twenty-eight.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.wfu.edu/finaid/twenty-eight.html</a></p>
<p>They forgot Stanford.</p>
<p>Does that mean that some state schools, UVa, UCBerkley, are needs aware rather than needs blind ?</p>
<p>You apply for financial aid shortly after or at the same time as you apply for admission. Most financial aid deadlines for RD are in January or February. For ED, they're often the same deadline as the application deadline. You apply with estimated numbers. That's because the schools want to give you your approximate FA award at the same time as the decision so you can figure out where you want to go.</p>
<p>UVa meets 100% of demonstrated need but less than half of those who apply for financial aid are actually judged as needing it. But in-state status is a big factor in need-based aid awards.</p>
<p>Their info:</p>
<h1>Average financial aid package: $15,553</h1>
<h1>Average need-based loan: $3,626</h1>
<h1>Average need-based scholarship or grant award: $12,589</h1>
<h1>Average non-need based aid: $7,660</h1>
<h1>Average indebtedness at graduation: $12,726</h1>
<p>Percent of total undergraduate aid awarded as:</p>
<pre><code>* Scholarships / grants: 64%
* Loans / jobs: 36%
</code></pre>
<p>Of the 3,095 incoming freshman last year, 1642 applied for financial aid, only 710 were offered aid.</p>
<p>In state tuition is $8500, out of state is about $27,000.</p>
<p>Just trying to figure out if we should bother applying for financial aid at all.
I know for certain we will not qualify; I guess the only reason to apply is to preserve my S's ability to be eligible for some merit $$ schol. funds. I see on the Common Applic. that if you indicate "yes" that you will apply for financial aid, then you will be deemed to answer for all schools through which the Common Appl. is used..</p>
<p>I believe that all state schools should be need-blind in-state. In fact, it's probably illegal to consider financial need when admitting in-state students (and if it's not illegal, there would be a huge scandal if it turned out that a major public university was rejecting in-staters because they were poor). On the other hand, I believe most public universities are need-aware for OOS students, since one of the major points to accepting them is to fund everyone else.</p>
<p>Remember that applying for financial aid is not what need-aware schools care about. What they care about is how much aid you qualify for. They're trying to balance their FA budget. So even if you check Yes, if you don't qualify for any aid, it's just the same as if you had checked No. Bottom line, both you and the kid who says No get $0, so it doesn't matter.</p>
<p>True,...but aren't there certain colleges that require the filing of financial aid forms as a prerequisite to considering an applicant for merit schol $$ ??
( If so, I think it is ridiculous but ....)</p>
<p>Getting back to the original question posted by idic5:</p>
<p>1) Colleges may say that they are need-blind, but consider these points: on the common app and many others, students are asked to list their parents, the occupations of their parents as well as colleges attended. Some colleges, if pushed, admit that they have to run like businesses. If they accept too many students with great financial need, that can create a terrible situation for the "business."</p>
<p>2) Everyone should follow the rules of the Financial Aid office. I believe that most schools require the FAFSA no matter what. The selectives will also want the CSS profile. If new to the process, be prepared that you will have to pay as much (or more) than you expect and that you will need to detail everything. Do the financial forms as early in Jan. as possible. The CSS is usually due earlier, so watch deadlines.</p>
<p>3) Word on the street is that many of the Ivys and highly selectives admit students more on an ability to pay than merit. You may wish to read Daniel Golden's The Price of Admission. I know that "ability to pay" is not true all the time, but I've seen too many cases over the years where I have to think this is happening a lot (e.g., kid with much lesser credentials and wealthy parents gets in over kid with stellar credentials and poor parents).</p>
<p>4) Some alumni reps conduct interviews at the student's home. I think that most do not, but I've seen a few who did. Form your own opinion about that---</p>
<p>5) Make sure your child has reaches, matches, and safeties. Make sure you have places where the money will be good just in case everything else looks bad.</p>
<p>Best of luck. We are very glad this process is over for our children.</p>
<p>Sounds like buying a user car.</p>
<p>-How much is it? </p>
<p>How much ya got?</p>
<p>This thread got me curious: I didn't know that St. Olaf was both need-blind and claims to meet 100% need of admitted students. It's extraordinary for a small school with a relatively modest endowment to be able to be truly need-blind. What's more, they give merit scholarships!</p>
<p>Does anyone know how they do it? I did a quick search, and it looks like their tuition is a bit lower than many LACs and their FA packages may be a little more heavily weighted toward self-help (loans and work study) than some similar schools, but not dramatically so. It seems quite remarkable.</p>
<p>Answer is:</p>
<p>"and their FA packages may be a little more heavily weighted toward self-help (loans and work study)"</p>
<p>The truth comes out in the fine print. Some schools claim to meet 100% need, but oftentimes the need is met through sizeable loans and work study. As well, defining "need" can be quite interesting after you have been through the process.</p>