"Sometimes, this can happen even without preferential packaging. For example:
College A claims to “meet full need”. College A’s methodology determines that the parent+student contribution should be $30,000 and offers grants to give a net price of $30,000.
College B does not claim to “meet full need”. College B’s methodology determines that the parent+student contribution should be $20,000 but gaps the student by offering grants to give a net price of $25,000. I.e. it leaves a $5,000 gap in terms of “meeting need”, but still gives a lower net price than College A that “meets full need”.
I.e. claiming to “meet full need” is an empty promise if the college determines “need” in a way that is relatively unfavorable to the parent+student. "
@ucbalumnus I don’t think this EVER happens, but if you could cite a real example with two real colleges in your example I might be persuaded otherwise, and private college XXX against community college CCC doesn’t count.