<p>takmuieo, I understand what you are saying and yes, I noted that you have a scholarship, which USC allowed you to apply to your need-based loans rather than reducing your grant (as many other schools would have).</p>
<p>What I am saying is that even WITH that scholarship, you would not be able to attend USC without the financial aid calculated for you by USC. So the things that made it possible for you to attend USC are, first and foremost, YOUR accomplished academic record which garnered you admission and a wonderful outside scholarship and second, the financial aid which (combined with your scholarship) allow you to attend an expensive private university rather than an affordable (and excellent btw) state school.</p>
<p>It is important to note that USC could, if it chose to do so, fill its freshman and transfer class with highly qualified full-pay students. Instead USC chooses to be need-blind in admissions and to provide financial aid to those it accepts and who qualify based on the information in the CSS/Profile. Nowhere does USC guarantee to provide an education for the same cost as your local state school - they state clearly that they will consider assets the FAFSA does not. Whether the aid provided will be enough for a particular student or family will vary based on each family’s circumstance, preparedness for college expenses, and debt tolerance.</p>
<p>Again I will state, unapologetically, that the fact that you are attending USC is indeed evidence that the aid provided (combined of course with your wonderful scholarship) has made it possible for you to attend an expensive, private university that would not have been within reach with only a (wonderful) $10,000 scholarship and no other aid. You would have been $52,000 short.</p>