<p>Hello, I am an international student who so badly wants to go to Oberlin.
But I need almost a full aid... which will SIGNIFICANTLY harm my chances...</p>
<p>Although Oberlin says it is one of the colleges that offer 'substantial' (quote) amount
of aid, I really want to know the truth, if any of you know the facts about
FA.</p>
<p>Usually how perfect and superior one should be to get FA from Oberlin??
If I need FA, applying under ED2 is better than under RD???</p>
<p>waiting for many wise, helpful replies^^ thank u!!!</p>
<p>If anything, my understanding (and this is in regards to any college in general) is that the opposite is true: If financial aid is a consideration then you should apply RD since any ED acceptance is binding. On the other hand, RD is non-binding, plus you can compare FA packages from different schools.</p>
<p>Whichever way you decide to apply, good luck to you.:)</p>
<p>“If financial aid is a consideration then you should apply RD since any ED acceptance is binding.”</p>
<p>Except when applying for FA; if the offer is not enough, you decline and apply RD to other schools. Clearly, it can’t be any other way; if you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it.</p>
<p>^Your point is well-taken. And I do realize that students can legitimately back out of an ED acceptance if their demonstrated FA need isn’t met. However, I still believe that if a student has a strong need for FA it’s in his/her best interest to apply RD and be able to compare various financial packages, not only on the basis of the amount of aid, but the type of aid, as well.(grants vs. loans vs. work-study, etc.) Just my opinion.</p>
<p>If you get accepted to Oberlin, we will meet 100% of your demonstrated financial need, which means that we generally give very generous financial aid packages. However, the problem as an international student is being accepted in the first place. The international student admissions process is very competitive and is significantly need-sensitive. You can be a fantastic student that we would love to have and still be turned down, because of the limited spaces available. BUT, if we accept you, you will probably find it quite affordable with financial aid.</p>
<p>My D applied RD and received very fair financial aid, including a John F. Oberlin merit scholarship, another scholarship we never heard of, a grant, and work study. I still had to dig deep, but the financial aid made it all possible, because I have two in college at the same time, and my other D receives zero financial aid. I’m paying the whole tab for her. Bottom line, Oberlin met our demonstrated need based on the FAFSA calculation.</p>
<p>They meet 100% of demonstrated need according to their website and CollegeBoard. Of course, whether it’s given in more generous methods (like grants or scholarships) or less generous (loans) probably sways. However, international may make getting in more difficult. But if you get in, you will probably get good FA. All of my friends who were admitted to Oberlin got good aid packages.</p>