@collegemom9 - On two recent occasions, during the information session at NEU, I had occasion to speak once with the Dean of Admissions, and another time with one of the Financial Aid Officers. Although not going into detail, both were very clear that NEU is NOT need blind. Whether one refers to it as “need aware” or otherwise, the school definitely takes into account whether or not an applicant indicates a need for financial aid. Proceed as you will, but you are incorrect and do so at your own peril.
@BrooklynRye I’m not worried. My son was accepted to his ED school and withdrew his application.
Some more sources re need blind:
http://yourwaytocollege.com/northeastern-university/
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/northeastern-university/1725043-is-northeastern-need-blind-for-financial-aid.html
I suspect that those lists with 100+ schools are not likely fully accurate, and it’s probably an error that got perpetuated through many sites copying the same sources trying to aggregate without verifying any information. You can confirm with the admissions department if you prefer but it’s not going to affect any decisions for someone that applies.
Then, in all frankness, you are not “going with Northeastern as need blind”…Good luck!
@BrooklynRye my comment means that with the absence of any proof that NU is need aware, I am going with the assumption that they are need blind since that’s the info that is readily available online. Linking an old CC post doesn’t make me feel any more confident that the school is need aware. I would suggest calling the FA office directly to anyone who wants an accurate answer.
See my post #80 above. Cannot be made clearer.
Sorry, still sticking with my feeling. I’d want to speak with FA myself for clarification if it was still relevant for us. Not that it would matter anyways. Either you’re admitted or you aren’t. If a school is need aware and chooses not to admit someone who is on the bubble stats wise we’d never know if that’s because they were in need of aid or not.
@collegemom9 and others… I guess many colleges can be need blind in terms of not letting that affect whether you are admitted or not, but it does not mean that a campus provides full need… I think only a handful of well endowed ivies provide that guarantee. Most privates determine need by their own formulas which vary school to school, so while ones admission may not be affected by their financial status, it does not mean that a school will provide one with enough FA to make it feasible to attend. I do think need blind schools are clear on their webpages that they are so, but I have never heard/seen NEU state that they are in fact need blind.
I’ve followed Northeastern admissions for 5 years and have attended the school for the same time and can confidently say that Northeastern is need-aware.
Alright, let’s wrap this debate up, no need to get into an argument here. Anyone is free to all admissions if they need to confirm this, as already said in many posts above.
For instance, here is MIT’s statement of being need-blind: “MIT’s need-blind admissions process ensures that you will not be disadvantaged in the admissions process because of your financial need. Our admissions process is need-blind for all students, foreign and domestic.”
…and so, all things considered, in particular (at least for me) my conversations with the dean of admissions and a financial aid officer at the school in question, does it not at least give you pause that there is no such express statement of need-blindness at neu? why the absence of such a statement if it is indeed the case? some things just are true whether you personally feel them in your gut or not…
Need blind has nothing to do with how much aid a school gives. Perhaps that’s the confusion here. Need blind means that your need for aid won’t affect being admitted. That’s not the same as meeting 100% of demonstrated need. Many schools are need blind and don’t meet need.
There is no confusion. You are shifting ground. The original discussion was about whether or not Northeastern financial aid is need-blind. Your gut feeling aside, there appears to be unanimous consensus on this thread that the school is not need-blind. That said, your point about meeting demonstrated need is a good one. Just because a school is need blind, does not mean it necessarily meets 100% of demonstrated need.
On the other hand, the significance of the need-blind/need aware question is not about this. If a school is not need-blind, it means that the admissions committee is aware of each applicant’s decision to apply for financial aid. To the extent to which financial resources may be limited, indicating application for financial aid can negatively impact one’s application and chances of admission. I believe that this is/was the primary reason for raising this question as to NEU.
Just curious, what happens if someone who checked the box that he/she will be applying for financial aid actually do not qualify for anything according to FAFSA ? In other words do need aware colleges actually look at the amount of financial aid required or they just looked at the box checked?
@Ultramarine777 Only admissions could answer that and likely would not publicly. It likely also varies by school. In general I would really not worry or spend time thinking about how schools view it - whatever happens happens. Admissions is such a black box that no one can ever really know why they got accepted/deferred/rejected/waitlisted, it’s just all guessing. This goes for all schools. The best you can do is make a well-balanced list and put your best foot forward on your application.
It doesn’t matter if a school is need-aware or need-blind. If you like a school, it’s a good match, and the NPC suggests it’s affordable, apply!
Well said @PengsPhils
Are we thinking that decisions will come out on the 17th? Do they always come out on Thursdays?
It has usually been Thursdays or Tuesdays, but who knows. It also could be a week later, maybe even sooner. The only constant is that they all come the same day starting around 3-5PM, geographically staggered in hour waves radiating out from Boston. Decisions are ready on the hour via the portal, emails are usually sent within 30 minutes, and mail versions take weeks to arrive usually.
Do you think that ED decisions coming out so early this year could at all expedite EA decisions? @PengsPhils