<p>At need blind colleges, more specifically highly selective lacs, do financial aid offices sort through every applicant's financial aid information (FAFSA, CSS Profile, ETC) before the decision is made? Or do they receive a list of admitted students, and then work to prepare packages?</p>
<p>I think you are confusing TWO terms.</p>
<p>NEED BLIND- This refers to admissions. It means that the admissions folks do NOT consider your financial need at all when determing admissions to the college. It has nothing to do with financial aid.</p>
<p>MEETS FULL NEED- There are schools that guarantee to meet full need for all admitted students. This is a financial aid thing and has nothing to do with admissions. If the school admits you, they will meet your need based on the SCHOOL’S calculations of your financial need.</p>
<p>Typically schools prepare financial aid packages for accepted students only.</p>
<p>The college also meets full need for all accepted non-international students.</p>
<p>Amberstars, at a need-blind college the Admissions office functions separately from the financial aid office. Because of that either one of two things happens – they, as you asked about, process financial aid all applicants with no knowledge of who’s accepted, or they just put together aid awards for accepted students once they have a list of those students from admissions.</p>
<p>My guess is it would have to be the latter, just due to limited resources combined with a huge number of applications. Prior to that point, though, I’m sure the FA office is busy making sure they have all the necessary FA application materials for each student that applies for aid so that they can get those aid awards worked up for the accepted students once they know who they are.</p>
<p>Financial aid offices only look at applicants who have been selected. When the financial details (FAFSA/CSS profile) are submitted they would obviously file and make sure nothing else they need is missing, but they move into gear only when decisions are made.</p>
<p>However the FA office may be informed much earlier than the applicant. Once the decision is made they financial aid office is notified and they begin working on it. I remember getting a call from a FA office asking for some details and the results were announced only a couple of weeks later. However the FA will not discuss results or inform anyone until the announcement day.</p>