<p>PA Parent, </p>
<p>You are correct. The data provided does not support the statement, “It clearly shows that students applying for financial aid are (for whatever reason) less likely to be admitted.” It’s possible, but since it is not an apples-to-apples comparison drawing such a definitive conclusion is not valid.</p>
<p>The 61% figure is the number “requesting FA information.” It is not the percentage applying for FA nor is it the percentage of the applicant pool that are eligible. By contrast, the 44% figure is the percentage of admitted students that did apply for FA and were eligible. </p>
<p>For example, suppose that 61% requested FA information, 52% applied and 44% were eligible. In that case, the data would show that FA students were admitted at precisely the same rate as non-FA students.</p>
<p>In fact, it is quite likely that Andover’s need-blind status distorts these numbers relative to other boarding schools. If an upper-middle class student believes that applying for aid will not harm his or her chances for admission it absolutely makes sense to try, whereas that same student may apply to an overtly need-aware school on a full-pay basis. If admitted and found not eligible for aid, that applicant would increase PA’s “requested financial aid information” percentage while decreasing the percentage of admitted applicants offered aid. That same applicant would have a relatively neutral impact on the need-aware school’s statistics.</p>