Wouldn’t low-income applicants also be applying for financial aid and therefore sharing very detailed information about the state of their family’s finances?
What am I missing?
@CaliMex thinking of colleges that are need-blind so don’t know if a student is applying for FA.
But they DO know that the student is applying for FA.
“Need blind” admissions started because prior to that (or at other schools) kids would receive rejection letters just because the college ran out of FA funds. “Need blind” schools say they won’t reject you just because you can’t afford tuition. THey are not saying they don’t know whether you need FA or even that they will meet your full need for FA.
That’s my understanding, anyway.
It may be that most need blind schools do know who applies for aid and just don’t consider it in decisions, except when they may be looking for low income students.
Not sure it’s handled the same way everywhere @CaliMex
The point is that if a school is truly need blind In admissions decisions and the Admissions Office does not get to see the financial aid application and all that detailed information about the state of family finances , how can AO take that fully into account when making the Admissions decision?
If you answer YES to “Do you feel that your financial circumstances might qualify you for an application fee waiver” on Common App, you are presented with a list of qualifying “indicators of economic need” - including ACT/SAT test fee waiver, Federal Free or Reduced Price Lunch program, USDA Food & Nutrition Service Income Eligibility Guidelines, TRIO, Upward Bound, any form of public assistance, federally subsidized public housing, being a ward of the state, and finally a “supporting statement from a school official.”
Whether or not the GC includes hardships in their LOR, the applicant can signal their economic status by simply answering the Common App question. I am certain that AO’s know the income thresholds that lead to FRPL, TRIO, USDA…
Need blind means that they do not EXCLUDE applicants solely on the basis of financial need. Need-blind does not prevent a school from extending extra consideration to an applicant who has great financial need.
No one knows for sure how every single college reviews application. I do know that low income kids from special programs like QB do a lot better in admissions to Highly selective colleges than those applying without them. Even if they don’t get Finalist status.
With the huge volume of applications AOs get in a short time frame, there isn’t much time spent on each app. If you have a hook/tag, the app is usually put into a whole other category and evaluated within that context. Does challenging SES qualify for that? I’ve never heard that said though extra consideration is supposed to be given for such circumstances as each applicant is supposed to be evaluated in the context of environment and opportunities.
Yes, school, parental info, address, asking for fin aid, getting free waiver all are signs of SES challenges but not definitive. A GC outright sayin it makes it more certain.