<p>My D & S got wait listed at a total of 10 colleges. They put their names on the lists and are crossing their fingers. In the meantime, they are pursuing their couple acceptances with good financial aid packages. </p>
<p>So here is the question, suppose my D or S get off a wait list is their financial aid going to be really bad? </p>
<p>If this happens, for sure they will not be able to go.</p>
<p>Look at the Gigantic Waitlists thread which posts an article about waitlists this year. MommaJ posted this:</p>
<p>“The article mentions that most waitlisted students won’t get financial aid if admitted. And D’s waitlist letter from Skidmore was explicit on this.”</p>
<p>If you choose to stay on a waitlist, be ready for the possibility that no financial aid will be available.</p>
<p>It seems so unfair.</p>
<p>As I’ve often told the kids, life isn’t fair. Schools are in a pinch–endowments are down, need is up, not only for kids getting in, but for kids who are already enrolled. There may not be any money left over by the time the waitlists are consulted.</p>
<p>Having money gives a person more options. Thank goodness your kids have acceptances with good financial aid. That was good planning on your part. Congratulations.</p>
<p>I don’t think that’s the case for all schools, especially for top tier schools. You may want to contact the schools to find out their situation. I am sure they will be upfront with you.</p>
<p>^Agree with oldfort about top tier schools. But for schools with less robust endowments, just be prepared that a call off the waitlist may not lead to enough financial aid to actually attend.</p>
<p>Admission off the waitlist, even at many top tier schools, is not need-blind. So a lot of years (and maybe particularly this year) the question is moot; most of the kids coming off the waitlist don’t qualify for aid.</p>
<p>Do you think that is why so many kids are on wait lists this year?</p>
<p>I think the reason is schools believe many full fare students may decided not to accept due to the economic situation. There will need a bigger pool of waitlist students for backup. There is going to be a bigger summer melt this year.</p>
<p>I also think many schools are using waitlists this year to technically remain need blind while enrolling more full pay kids. Most never claimed to be need blind for the waitlist and that’s true of even some of the wealthiest colleges.</p>
<p>The only part I see as unfair is some of the schools not being upfront about it. It’s just financial reality for them.</p>
<p>/\ agree totally with this. I was surprised to discover that Smith does not do this. However, I wonder if, at Smith, by the time kids are accepted from the waitlist all the FA $$ is gone…</p>
<p>Stanford gives the same FA to waitlisters as others, but the problem here is that very few are ever offered admission from the waitlist. Last year NO ONE was taken from the waitlist. It’s easy to give full FA to a waitlisted student if none of them exist.</p>
<p>Wow! No one off the wait list. Hmmmmm</p>
<p>Chinablue, never forget that the waitlist is a tool for the benefit of the school, not the student. In a “normal” year, the number of kids taken off a waitlist varies little (unless the college made a boo-boo the year before). Universities use complicated yield management techniques to produce the results that work for them financially. </p>
<p>But this year, with so many unknowns due to the economic strains experienced by both families and schools, techniques used in the past may not work so well in predicting yield and financial aid profiles. I’m guessing that colleges are going to be conservative in actual acceptances and use the waitlist to fill the gaps.</p>
<p>Colleges hate over-enrollement and they hate under-enrollment. The waitlist can help with the under-enrollment problem.</p>