<p>There is indeed a huge difference between how Profile schools calculate need. In our case, there was a difference of over $20K in the need-based offers my son received from the schools that accepted him (one Ivy and a few top LACs). And I am not self-employed. The lesson I have taken from this, is to take with a grain of salt any claims of “no loan” and “we meet 100% of demonstrated need” and simply cast a wide net and see what comes in. I don’t think there’s any way of predicting which school will give you the best offer.</p>