<p>can anyone clarify this for me :) need-based is well, based on need duh, and need-blind means the school is oblivious to your financial situation when looking at your apps. </p>
<p>so what i'm asking is, well, is need-based more need-blind? as in it just doesn't affect your chances of admission. of course if you're from a richer family, you are less likely to get the aid than one that needs it more. but i mean the actual admission in terms of acceptance</p>
<p>thanks :D</p>
<p>Two different things, I see as not really related.<br>
Need-Based related to financial aid and how it is awarded - means nothing as far as I know in terms of admissions.<br>
Need-Blind is related to admissions and that if you need FA that is not part of the decisoin to admit you. Means nothing in terms of FA actually awarded other than schools use the term when they say they meet 100% of demonstrated need to those admitted.</p>
<p>My understanding is that need-based means that aid is given according to need, rather than merit. So, if you are from a wealthy family, it doesn't matter how much they want you, you're not getting aid. That said, to say that FA is not merit based would be incorrect for schools that are not need-blind. I think it is safe to assume, and some school actually have this stated explicitly on their websites, that if you are a FA candidate and have they have decided to admit you, they then put you in a pool with other FA candidates and divvy up the money based on need and how much they want you. In that sense, it is merit based. Some schools will not bother to admit you if they cannot (or aren't willing) to meet your demonstrated need. I believe Hotchkiss states this. Others may waitlist you, and still others may admit give, but put you on a FA waitlist on the off chance that your family can pull 40 grand out their behind for you to attend.</p>
<p>On to need-blind....this means that they (theoretically) don't consider need at all in the admissions decisions. If you are accepted, they will meet your need. The only schools that I know of who say that they are need-blind are the ones that have full grant policies for students under a certain income. Again, in a sense, this is also merit based in the sense that these schools are so hard to get into. The children are often even referred to as "scholarship students." The thinking is that they don't admit anyone who doesn't have merit so let's just give it to those who need it most.</p>
<p>A very few schools offer merit aid, which means that it doesn't matter who much money your parents have. If someone endowed a scholarship for the child of Nigerian heritage who has excelled on the accordian, then they'll give the money to a kid who fits the bill even if their parents are millionaires.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>
<p>
[quote]
On to need-blind....this means that they (theoretically) don't consider need at all in the admissions decisions. If you are accepted, they will meet your need.
[/quote]
Our current day school is "need-blind" but they do not meet 100% of need. The need blind part is that they don't consider your FA info when making admissions decisions. We applied to a couple of "need blind" schools, were admitted and one put us on the FA wait list, the other gapped us by a couple of thousand. Those who say they will meet the demonstrated need are now using the term to include that they will meet the full need, but it didn't start that way from a defination standpoint.</p>
<p>Most schools don't have merit-based aid, and state that aid is based on need. This means financial need. BUT, I think there is an element to how much the school needs YOU. For example, if a school admits you and really wants you to attend, they can make sure that there is no financial aid gap for you. Or, they can offer you more than you might have been expecting based on the PFS. How much this happens, I don't know, but it seems like it could come into play at some point.</p>