<p>Need-based aid seems unlikely, which is probably appropriate given that you’ve indicated your dad can/will cover you… that means you have no need to fund your education by raiding other peoples’ pockets.</p>
<p>Going full-pay can be a bitter pill to swallow, knowing that you’re paying more tuition so the school can afford to let others pay less, /and/ your family has paid a big chunk of income taxes that pay for all those need-based federal grants for other students. But the blessing is that you know your way is paid, without strings attached and not subject to Congressional whims.</p>
<p>There are other factors besides income… expenses, business losses, number of siblings in college… but still, that income is pretty high, and there are probably assets (e.g., real estate, home equity, retirement accounts, trust funds) that will get counted against you as well. When we ran the numbers ourselves (significantly less than $200k/year income, 5 figures not 6), it clearly wasn’t worth applying for aid.</p>
<p>But the college isn’t the only possible source of funds, and need-based aid isn’t the only kind out there. Have you looked into outside scholarships and fellowships?</p>