<p>I think their institutional method is a combination of FAFSA and PROFILE, not some separate thing. So if all the calculators are saying you can afford the $50k price tag, I doubt any magic wands would be waved (or magic formulas used) to make it only $15k… the discrepancy would probably be closer to +/- $5k.</p>
<p>Other schools offer merit-based scholarships/ aid, Reed is pretty unique in ONLY offering need-based aid and then covering 100% of the demonstrated need. Other schools are also cheaper.
If your heart is set on Reed, you could pursue outside scholarships. You could add up how much you could take out in unsubsidized loans or make through summer work, etc to cover the difference before reverting to parent loans. However, $35k is a pretty steep difference and I really do not recommend going into massive amounts of debt just to attend a dream school. There are loads of great schools out there and loads of financial aid/merit aid/scholarships/grants, too… so just keep your options open and try not to stress about it too much until admissions and financial aid decisions come back. </p>
<p>If all else fails, several Canadian universities are under $15k/year, even for international students.</p>