<p>I read on a princeton review ranking that NYU is the worst school for financial aid.
I didn't apply for financial aid. Does this mean I have a higher chance of getting accepted?</p>
<p>
[quote]
Need blind — Admissions decisions made without reference to a student’s financial aid request, that is, an applicant’s financial need is not known to the committee at the time of decision.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>So if a school is need blind the fact that you have not asked for financial aid will not give you a greater chance of being accepted.</p>
<p>From what I have heard, the problem with NYU is that it is a very expensive school that does not meet 100% of need. They package need on preferential basis so it is up in the air what you will get from them. I do not know if they are need blind, but I have known kids accepted with need that got very little of it met. Most schools are need blind--they just don't meet the need most of the time. A need blind school that meets 100% of need or close to it is rare.</p>
<p>No it's not.
The CUNY system offers the honors program, in which a student with appx 95 gpa and a 1350 SAT score can get in with a full scholarship, including books, room and boarding, food, computers, and even an ipod.</p>
<p>slater - that is not need based - that is a merit based scholarship - big difference.</p>
<p>NYU's case is that it may meet 100% of need with a large portion of loans for kids at the lower end of the admissions curve.</p>
<p>
[quote]
A need blind school that meets 100% of need or close to it is rare.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>In fact there are only about 40 such schools that meet 100% of need. (I wish I could provide a list.) </p>
<p>Another thing to keep in mind is the definition of "need". The schools, not FAFSA or CSS, determine your need, which is almost always less than FAFSA or what the applicant thinks his or her need is.</p>
<p>A third factor is how the school meets the need. In particular, what portion of the FA package is in the form of student loans. Look for schools that limit student loans in FA packages or have eliminated student loans altogether, like Princeton and Davidson.</p>
<p>A final factor is how outside scholarships effect your FA package. If you get $1000 from the local Moose Lodge, how does it change your FA package? Does the FA package remain intact or is it reduced? If the latter, is it the amount of loan or the amount of grant that is reduced?</p>
<p>Bluebayou, NYU does not always meet 100% of need if you look at their self reported stats on the matter. And, yes, the form of aid is often not as merit based as some schools. However, I do know kids that NYU really wanted and who got their best package from there. It's just the overall picture, not necessarily specific to any given candidate, that NYU is not good on aid.</p>
<p>I believe most of the NESCAC schools are need blind and meet 100% of demonstrated financial need--that would be Amherst, Bowdoin, Colby, etc</p>
<p>Colby doesn't say it is need blind on its website. It doesn't quite say it meets full need, either.
Some NESCACs are need blind, some aren't.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.bates.edu/x81507.xml%5B/url%5D">http://www.bates.edu/x81507.xml</a></p>
<p>Judging by their websites NESCACs Williams, Amherst, Wesleyan, Bowdoin and Middlebury are need blind. Tufts, Colby, Bates, Connecticut, Hamilton and Trinity aren't.</p>