<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>I've already applied ED to an institution and on the Common App I indicated that I would be applying for financial aid. However, due to a change in circumstances, I am no longer in need of financial aid. Should I email the admissions office, informing them of my current situation? Would it be a bad idea to just miss the deadlines for the CSS profile and submitting tax return info (this might make me seem irresponsible?), or do they not really care?</p>
<p>If they are need blind for admission then don’t contact them, otherwise go ahead.</p>
<p>It is hard to say since we don’t understand the circumstances. Did you file a FAFSA already? I’m not sure that you should go ahead and file all the remaining docs in case things change again.</p>
<p>Sorry I haven’t made my situation clear. All I’ve done in terms of financial aid is indicated “Yes” for the question “Will you be applying for financial aid?” on the Common App. Since I am applying Early Decision, the CSS profile and 2009 Tax Returns are due on November 16th - FAFSA and 2010 Tax Returns are all due March 1st of next year. As of now, I have not submitted any of these, so the only indication of my needing financial aid is that one question on the Common App and nothing else. My question is, now that I no longer required financial aid, should I contact the admissions office and explain my situation? Or would they not take it into consideration unless I submit the necessary forms (in which case, I will just refrain from doing so)?</p>
<p>Yes, the institution is need-blind, or so they say.</p>
<p>Does anyone think it could be a PLUS to ask for FA at a need-blind school, in terms of financial diversity? In that the highest correlation of, e.g., SAT scores is to family income, a needy student qualifying for admission would likely be in the minority. Just wondering…</p>
<p>If you are a US citizen (or Green card holder), applying to an Ivy or its ilk, adcoms won’t even notice or care. But, if you are an international, applying for aid could be a consideration, even at (supposedly) need-blind colleges.</p>
<p>@ bluebayou: is that regardless of residency? I am a US citizen, but I attend school outside of the US. I know for this institution I am considered an “international” applicant (need-blind), but not a “foreign” one (need-based). </p>
<p>Thanks for all your help! :)</p>
<p>^^As far as I know, it does not matter where you attend school. As long as you are a US citizen, colleges will put you in the “domestic pile” for admissions purposes and for financial aid purposes (internationals don’t qualify for federal loans/grants). You just won’t have state residency, for any possible instate benefits.</p>
<p>But I could be wrong…suggest you e-mail the college(s) in question and ask them specifically.</p>
<p>I agree with bluebayou–the best approach is to email the college directly to ask.</p>
<p>Just so there is no confusion for others, though, I need to respond to this statement:
</p>
<p>This may be true in your case, but there are cases where a US citizen attends high school outside the US, but would still have state residency. One is where the family lives in the US and the student attends boarding school overseas. Another is where the family lives overseas for a short term but intends to return to the state; for example, when my family lived overseas for two years, we were still considered state residents, we paid state income taxes and I even renewed my driver’s license during that period, even though we no longer owned or rented a house in the state.</p>
<p>^^Of course, your examples are correct. Good catch.</p>
<p>Being an expat might make you more interesting to some schools, perhaps especially to smaller ones.</p>