<p>Many people on college confidential have gotten emails from the financial aid department of certain colleges and then soon afterward receive likely letters or are at a later time offered admission. On the hand, some applicants who apply for financial aid do not receive email regarding incomplete financial aid application. </p>
<p>So from previous years or evidence from this year, does being contacted by the financial aid department of a certain college correlate with admission to that college?</p>
<p>Also as final note, I decided to ask this question because in many subforums many CC members have been asking the same questions so it'll be nice to put an end to this speculation.</p>
<p>No one can say definitively. In our house, an admission did follow a request for additional FA information. However, there are plenty of parents who can tell you that their kids were straight out rejected, not even waitlisted despite a request for FA information from the school. </p>
<p>All schools that receive federal funds (whether it is pell grants, federal work study, stafford loans) are required to audit ~30% of the FA applications and the audit is done on a random basis. So yes, you can be asked for additional FA information and be accepted and yes, the school can ask you for additional information and it does not necessarily mean that you will get accepted.</p>
<p>Well I have seen in the Dartmouth forum that many (if not most) who got financial aid notices later got likely letter. So that's one instance in which financial aid notices have postive meaning.</p>
<p>can someone tell us if they received emails from financial department and were rejected after(in the previous years or ED)? thanks!!</p>
<p>Anyone else have some thoughts?</p>
<p>It depends.</p>
<p>The financial aid department and the admissions department at most colleges operate independently of one another. The financial aid department, when e-mailing or otherwise notifying you that you are missing some information, is only trying to complete their job -- regardless of whether you are admitted or not. Since financial aid deadlines are earlier than admissions deadlines, the two departments are trying to do different things at the same time.</p>
<p>However, I'd say that if you're getting a financial aid package in the mail before you're admitted, or notification that you're under consideration for a scholarship or something, then likely you are admitted. Schools don't waste valuable time trying to package everyone that applied -- they only package the admitted students, so if they're prepared a financial aid package for you that could mean good things.</p>
<p>So general inquiries about incomplete applications are a toss-up, but packages and more specific information could mean good things.</p>
<p>ETA: I'd also add that trying to decipher other correspondence you get from a college can only lead to heartbreak later. It's nerve-wracking to be waiting on admissions, but I think it's best not to assume that you are in (or not in) at any college until you actually receive an admissions letter -- whether it's e-mailed or mailed to you.</p>
<p>Thanks for the advice Julliet.</p>