This is so true! The accepted student will get a financial aid offer, and that is pretty much it. And, if you are offered a combination of merit + need-based aid, the need-based aid will reflect the merit aid. You should try running the NPC on the website to see how it looks, though they are typically less accurate for international students than domestic students.
One of the hardest things we see on CC every spring is the students who get into a school they love but then can’t afford, b/c the colleges estimate of what the family needs in the way of financial aid is different than what the family feels they can afford.