ETA…some colleges will give you a financial aid preread before acceptance…this is not a financial aid award, but is a pre read estimate of your aid. This applies mostly to athletes who are often asked to apply early but want to know school affordability first.
Financial aid packages come either with your admission or after.
Why would a school give you a financial aid package before admission?? Unless you are talking about a pre read which is really an estimate.
For Early Decision applicants, the financial aid package will come either with the acceptance or very shortly thereafter. This is because this is a binding acceptance and students need to see the financial aid package to be certain the school is affordable. The window for accepting these admission offers is short.
For Early Decision applicants…sometimes the financial aid package comes with or shortly after acceptance. But since this is not a binding acceptance, there are some colleges that send the financial aid offer out closer to when regular Decision students receive theirs.
For rolling admission schools…it depends. Some send their financial aid packages with or shortly after acceptance. Others wait.
For regular Decision, the financial aid package comes with or shortly after the acceptance.
I can’t think of one place that sends financial aid packages before acceptances .
PLEASE…if you have applied Early Decision , early action or rolling admissions…keep an eye out for the priority filing deadline for your financial aid application materials. Have everything to the school before that deadline or you won’t receive your financial aid award in a timely fashion.
Actually…everyone should check the appropriate deadlines for financial aid applications and DO NOT MISS THE DEADLINES. Schools have deadlines for a reason.