<p>Can someone explain this to me? Until today I had always been under the impression that Stanford was need-blind, but apparently it isn't in that "list of 7." Do any students/alumni know what's the deal with this? I'm actually surprised that the school with the fastest growing endowment isn't N-B.</p>
<p>They are need blind, but they can often make out your financial stituation through location, parents' education/jobs, and other clues.</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but I'm under the impression that Stanford is need-blind for U.S. applicants and is only "need-aware" for international applicants.</p>
<p>An explanation as to why (from the Stanford Daily):</p>
<p>To offer need-blind admissions for international students, Hennessy estimated, the University would have to spend at least an additional $10 million each year — an increase that would require a $200 million bump in Stanford’s endowment. Currently, Hennessy suggested, Stanford’s endowment per student ratio is insufficient to fund need-blind admissions, which Harvard, Yale and Princeton are all able to do.</p>
<p>“Our peer institutions are able to offer need-blind financial aid because of the total size of their endowment compared to their student body,” Hennessy said. “Harvard has a student body that’s slightly larger than ours, but it has an endowment roughly twice ours. Princeton has an endowment five percent smaller than us, but a student population that is half in size. The endowment per student is significantly lower at Stanford than at Harvard, Yale and Princeton.”</p>
<p>I did notice this in the response thread, but really, I don't think Stanford sits there and just goes "Needs FA--Rejected; Did not apply for FA--Accepted."</p>
<p>Stanford is need-blind for domestic students (greencard-holders and US citizens). Many US colleges, most of the top schools in fact, are need-blind for domestic students. There are altogether 40 schools that are need-blind for domestic students.</p>
<p>Stanford is non-needblind for international students. Only 8 colleges are need-blind for international students (HYPM, Dartmouth Williams Middlebury Amherst) It is very difficult to get into Stanford with FA, for international students.</p>
<p>^^ out of curiosity, where did you get that figure of 40 need-blind schools (for domestic applicants)? A list perhaps?</p>
<p>You need to distinguish between "need-blind" admissions, a commitment to meet 100% of need in financial aid, and then a commitment to meet need with or without loans. The vast majority of U.S. colleges -- far more than 40 -- are need-blind when it comes to admissions, in the sense that financial status isn't considered when deciding whom to admit. That's possible because only a small number of colleges commit to meet 100% of need for accepted students. I don't know where fiona got her 40 number, but I suspect it's the number of colleges that are both need-blind and commit to meet 100% of need for domestic students. And, I believe, the eight colleges named by fiona are those that are both need-blind and committed to meet 100% of need for foreign students. (A few years ago, that number was 0, by the way.)</p>
<p>There is also a relatively small number of colleges that commit to meet 100% of need for domestic students, but are need-aware in admissions, i.e., they won't admit a student if they aren't prepared to fund his or her need. This doesn't mean that students who need financial aid are not admitted, but it does mean that they are competing against each other for a limited budget, and that a student with a high need level had better have a really compelling application. </p>
<p>Most of the colleges that commit to meet 100% of need for domestic students also commit to meet 100% of need for foreign students, too, but are need-aware in admissions for foreign students, so that they can control their aid budget for those students. This happens because foreign students can't take advantage of Federal student aid programs, so any aid a foreign student receives has to be funded by the college itself. </p>
<p>The rest of the admissions-need-blind colleges don't promise to meet 100% of need with aid. Basically, they admit lots of students, and then say (nicely, with lots of help), "You figure out how to pay for it, here's what we'll contribute, but after that you're on your own."</p>
<p>Finally, a handful of elite colleges have started committing to eliminate loans as part of their financial aid packages for students from low- and moderate-income families. This is an extraordinary move, because loans (often government-funded, not funded by the college) are usually the first component of any financial aid package, and grants have to be funded by the college itself. The difference between graduating from college with $100,000 in debt and graduating with $0 in debt makes an enormous difference to students. I believe most of the colleges doing this also do it for their foreign students, but some may not.</p>
<p>Stanford is need-blind and committed to meet 100% need for US students, but not for internationals...</p>
<p>^^ for clarification, Stanford is need-aware for internationals, but meets 100% need for those internationals that do manage to get in. I know a few internationals who pay $0.</p>
<p>
[quote]
^^ out of curiosity, where did you get that figure of 40 need-blind schools (for domestic applicants)? A list perhaps?
[/quote]
Need-blind</a> admission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia, count the number of schools listed.</p>
<p>
[quote]
^^ for clarification, Stanford is need-aware for internationals, but meets 100% need for those internationals that do manage to get in. I know a few internationals who pay $0.
[/quote]
Meets 100% of need for those that apply for aid. For those who don't initially apply for aid, they can never apply from FA from Stanford in the following 4 years of study.</p>
<p>do you by any chance know what kind of stats these international students have? thanks.</p>
<p>No one will be able to give you legitimate stats on the international students that get in with financial aid. There’s definitely a healthy number of international students that get financial aid though, and they all are not necessarily total rockstars (by stanford stanfords) by any stretch.</p>
<p>The big thing is that international students who do need aid NEED TO APPLY FOR IT. so many people try to “game” the system by not applying for aid because the think it will prevent them from getting in. But at the end of the day, if you can’t afford to go to stanford without aid (and you have to prove you can pay for it before you can get immigration stuff worked out), you won’t be able to come here either…so you may as well apply for aid.</p>
<p>Here’s hoping they think of me as one of those non-rockstar internationals :P</p>
<p>I think there’s a fine line here. Need-blind means you are admitted regardless of your ability to pay; i.e., you will not be rejected because you need a full ride and you will not be accepted because you can pay full freight. That does not mean, however, that your socioeconomic status will play no role in your application whatsoever. For example, low-income students who overcome obstacles will see that in their favor, whereas upper-income students who, say, receive a 4.0 at a rigorous, expensive private school may also see that in their favor.</p>
<p>what is a list of 7?</p>