<p>Need-blind admissions means that they don’t look at whether or not you need financial aid when you apply. You could be admitted and not receive a cent of financial aid no matter how badly you would need it in order to attend that college/university.</p>
<p>Very few colleges and universities guarantee that they will meet full financial need. Even those that do meet what THEY determine a student’s need to be. In other words, you could be admitted and receive aid, but still not be able to afford that place.</p>
<p>Some institutions have need-sensitive admissions. If they determine that they cannot meet your financial aid needs, you won’t be admitted.</p>
<p>Overall, it is harder for international students to be admitted to colleges and universities in the US even when they have no financial need. This makes what would be a “safety” for a US applicant with no financial need become a “match” for an international applicant with no financial need. However even that candidate is more fortunate than an international applicant with significant financial need. In that case every single institution in the US would have to be classified as a “reach”.</p>