Which Schools are truly "Need-blind?"

Applying to College
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<p>"Colleges can do what they like...and colleges with small endowments might be more likely to reject you for financial reasons. You can't prove that they're discriminating against you, even if you want to."</p>

<p>When an applicant to a school wants an education for which s/he can't afford to pay, a school can choose whether or not they want the applicant in spite of his/her inability to pay. An applicant has the opportunity to present his/her financial status in her financial aid application, and a school has a right to choose on whom to spend their limited aid funds and a right to reject applicants with need the school is unable or unwilling to meet. It is not "discrimination" for a school to reject an applicant who has submitted a financial aid request that indicates the applicant can't afford the school even with the aid the school is willing to offer.</p>

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<p>tutus,</p>

<p>Hopefully your daughter has applied to at least one safety school, a school that you can afford without aid and to which she is very likely to be admitted with her stats. If so, then you just have to wait and see if any of her non-safety schools offer aid that meets your needs. If you do not have a safety school and none of the schools that admit your daughter offer suitable aid, then community college is always an option, as is a year working for funds to finance her education.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Schools plan their aid several years out and in most cases, if you don't apply for aid your first year, you can't get aid for your second and subsequent years unless something dramatic has changed your family's financial picture.

[/quote]
Be sure to check the policy of each school. Just call and ask; they'll tell you!</p>

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<p>I'm not concerned about the amount of aid, or "suitable aid" but a flat-out rejection due to financial need. It's possible that family members might step in to help with tuition, as long as admission is offerred. Do you understand what I'm trying to ask?</p>

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<p>Vossron, do you mean to call and ask the schools if they will reject my daughter just because we have lost all our money?</p>

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<p>yeah something interesting i noticed was that most ivy league/upper-tiered universities all have around 50% of their class on finaid. coincidence..?</p>

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<p>"I'm not concerned about the amount of aid, or "suitable aid" but a flat-out rejection due to financial need. It's possible that family members might step in to help with tuition, as long as admission is offerred. Do you understand what I'm trying to ask?"</p>

<p>Yes, I understand, but if a school doesn't know a family member might pay, they can't be expected to consider that information in making an admission decision. Very, very few schools are truly "need blind." Most schools admit to being "need aware" or "need sensitive." As vossoron suggested, you can check with specific schools. You might start with their financial aid websites rather than the telephone. You'll probably just have to be patient until admissions decisions are made and then evaluate your options.</p>

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<p>No, sorry, I didn't mean you; I meant the "skip the first year" issue.</p>

<p>For your case, I don't think the schools will care why you need aid; the forms usually tell the story they need to hear. But sometimes in case of a denial of aid, talking to them and submitting additional information can cause a happy reversal. I've seen it happen.</p>

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<p>Thanks. So I guess what everyone is saying is that my daughter can indeed get rejected from schools that she would have been accepted to if we had kept the status quo the same as it had been before the disastrous decision we made 3 years ago. This is killing me that my daughter has to suffer the consequences of something out of her control.</p>

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<p>There's a big movement away from loans, which should help your case.</p>

<p>And, no, I disagree with those who say to the OP that ~$125k income makes FA difficult to obtain. College will run you $50k per year at a top private school! FA is offered for nearly all income levels.</p>

<p>Not really, with less income, I was offered $3,000 in loans, period, at the HYP schools! FA is NOT a given unless you work the system.</p>

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<p>Vossron, I keep getting your message after I've submitted mine. So maybe if I explain the extenuating circumstances before decisions are made, it might help? We really do have kind of an unusual circumstance.</p>

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<p>it depends on how much financial aid often.</p>

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<p>"So I guess what everyone is saying is that my daughter can indeed get rejected from schools that she would have been accepted to if we had kept the status quo the same as it had been before the disastrous decision we made 3 years ago." </p>

<p>Yes, it's POSSIBLE.</p>

<p>"This is killing me that my daughter has to suffer the consequences of something out of her control."</p>

<p>While POSSIBLE, the worst case scenario has not come to pass! You seem to be assuming the worst will happen but you need to wait until decisions are in before you'll know if/how your business decisions have affected your daughter's college options.</p>

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<p>tutus, they might tell you what additional or unusual documentation you could submit before decisions are made, but I'd guess they'd say to just let it run its course with the usual FAFSA/profile/whatever, and then appeal if the award is insufficient.</p>

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<p>Tutus, it just so depends on the policies of each school, and also how strong a candidate your daughter is in their view. Smith for example, says they're mostly needs-blind, but with applications that are maybe-yes-maybe-no, they will look at that point at financial aid need. However, if they are very interested in an applicant at the ouset, perhaps that student slides in without regard to her need. So there's just no way to know. For students with financial need, there's a whole pragmatic aspect to choosing which schools to apply to; some that are affordable regardless (usually public and within commuting distance), some that are fully needs-blind and meet 100% of need (there are not a lot of these, and many are tough to get into), and then some that you just need to wait and see what they offer you before you make a decision. But don't worry yet based on what you're reading on this message board. Your daughter's applications are out already and you can only wait and see how it plays out. </p>

<p>It probably wouldn't hurt to apply to a public, commutable college that has a rolling admissions deadline, just as a safety net, if such an option exists for you. Hopefully your daughter will end up with something she's happy with and that is financially manageable... but don't let yourself get too upset over this. I have a feeling things will work out fine for your daughter, and how wonderful that she may have some extended family to help her out too.</p>

<p>Don't let something that hasn't even happened yet (like a rejection from a college) add to your frustration and disappointment over how things went with your husband's business venture. What's past is past. And even if there is a rejection, you won't know why it happened. It's entirely possible that it would be a decision made wholly for different reasons.</p>

<p>Most kids who apply to a lot of schools don't get accepted everywhere, because some schools on their list are reaches. But I bet your daughter will get some acceptances she'll be excited about.</p>

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<p>Thanks for a voice of reason, 'rent, and your encouraging words. I do tend to panic when I read this website. Maybe I should go read a book.</p>

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<p>^ yes, you should.</p>

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<p>Oh, geesh, don't I know! This place sent me into a weird spin when I first started reading here. I'm more armored to it now, plus it helps that now my son has been accepted and knows where he's going next fall. When you get to that point with your daughter, it'll be a safer place to read. In the meantime a good book isn't a bad idea! ;)</p>