But a handful of the highly selective colleges offer need-based scholarship. Isn’t it true that Princeton has had a “no loan” FA policy for quite some time?!
I sometimes wonder whether there is a big difference for the out-of-pocket expenses for the students with a great need when they attend these colleges with an extremely good need-based FA policy vs the colleges with a “full ride”, assuming that the former could possibly take advantage of an easier access to a “need-and-unit-loan”-based med school due to the inbred or incest phenomenon. To MiamiDAP: I am referring to your D’s case vs GAmom’s D’s case here. (They could pay less at their need-based med school but they need to get in first. Of course, if we really want to count dollars and cents, the best deal is a “full ride” at a “lesser” college which is willing to “buy” their students and follows it by a “need-and-unit-loan”-based med school or the selective few “almost full tuition” merit based schools. Some may have managed to get it but in general there are not that many such opportunities.)