not sure why this thread morphed into a “can you afford it” or when to apply for aid etc.
I really only have 1 question which is how does applying for financial aid affect the admissions process for the above schools. And if it puts my child at any disadvantage whatsoever, I’d rather not apply for any financial aid and pay the full amount.
Asked and answered
If your kid is applying to a need blind school, applying for financial aid will have zero impact on whether it’s an acceptance or a denial.
That’s the answer as far as the need blinds-- and whether a school is need blind is typically on the landing page of the admissions section of the U’s website- no need to guess.
Nobody here can answer the second question- which is what is the impact at the “need aware” colleges. Because none of us know how competitive your kid’s application is, how compelling a candidate your kid is in the context of the entire pool, etc. If your kid is on the bubble-- yes, it can impact admissions especially if you need a lot of aid (which it doesn’t sound like you do). If your kid is in the top tier of admits, then applying for aid (especially if you don’t qualify which might be the case) has zero impact. They’ll accept your kid, and it’s up to you to figure out if you want to spend the money or not.
Hope this helps.
FWIW, we assumed that applying for financial aid at any private college would put my D25 at a disadvantage for admission. So we didn’t.
Interesting.
I wish I had thought this through before we submitted his app. I regret applying for FA now. Anyway I believe that Columbia truly is need blind (doubt he’s gonna get in there anyway). But the other schools I’m not so sure.
TBH I highly doubt this would be an important variable at competitive schools
There are like 113 need-blind schools in the U.S. (out of roughly 5,300 colleges, so a little over 2%). You can find a list of these schools online. Every other college will take needing aid (which they will get from you checking the ‘I plan on applying for need-based financial aid’ box on the Common App) into account in their admission decision.
Though some number of those schools, while being need blind, do not commit to meeting need once one is admitted.
There are far, far more than that. Pretty much every public school is need blind. Of course, that doesn’t mean that they meet need or even provide any financial assistance of any sort.
Not sure where you are getting your information, but the vast majority of all public colleges are need blind for admissions, including most flagships, directionals, and community colleges. That is WAYYYY more than 113.
Well, for OOS applicants, technically, they’re neither need-blind not need-aware; they’re need-don’t-care, because those applicants are expected to be full-pay.