<p>When I search colleges by filter 100% financial aid, quite few colleges return. Are there fine prints? Does that mean they will pay entire tuition fee - EFC? or this aid may include loan which you will have to return.</p>
<p>Sometimes they include loans. I recently got into a “full need” school and while the grant was huge, they still gave me $1800 yearly in loans. However, you can choose to pay it out of pocket instead.</p>
<p>Bella, are you an int’l? IF so, then those results won’t be right for you. </p>
<p>And, 100% of need met is after the school looks at your family’s finances and decides what your family should pay. So, you may still have a substantial contribution.</p>
<p>Most schools include loans and/or work study if you’re a domestic student.</p>
<p>I’m not a international student. </p>
<p>Can you rely on the searches returned by websites as far financial aid is concerned? The reason I ask is, you can only apply to so many colleges like 6-9. Do you have to run net price calculator on each college’s website or searches are fairly accurate? I would hate to find out drastic change after you apply and they send you acceptance letter. </p>
<p>Is there a online resource where you can find out about how much aid various colleges have paid?</p>
<p>Bella, do the net price calculators for EACH school. Each school has its own way of calculating institutional need based aid.</p>
<p>Use each school’s NPC. Each school is different.</p>
<p>Is there a online resource where you can find out about how much aid various colleges have paid?</p>
<p>That won’t tell you anything. All you need to be concerned with is what a college would give YOU based on your situation. What others got is irrelevant to you.</p>
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<p>Says who? Really . . . why would you limit yourself to 6 - 9? If you need significant aid, you may need to apply to more schools than that to make sure there’s at least one that’s affordable for you.</p>
<p>Also, the schools that meet 100% of need are also the most competitive. If you have the GPA and test scores to get into those schools, you should also be looking at schools that offer merit aid. If you know your GPA and test scores, you can predict ahead of time how much aid you’ll get from these schools, and it’s guaranteed:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships.html</a></p>
<p>When you research colleges, look at the common data set for each school. It will show the % applying for financial aid, the % receiving it, the % of need met, the % getting full need met and merit stats of that sort as well. </p>
<p>Most schools that guarantee to meet full need define their own need rather than using the FAFSA EFC. If your family finances are not complicated like owning a business, and the school does meet full need and doesn’t have a whole lot of merit awards, the NPCs are pretty accurate. You’ll see variations from school to school even if they both or all guarantee to meet full need, even those using the same methodology. Schools often have a student required contribution that has to be paid, and some schools are no loan, some limit loans, some even have extra loans outside of government ones they stick in the package.</p>