<p>@steellord - I guess I want to debate the undebatable: “Private schools often do take into account ability to pay, for the same reason they favor legacies. Adcoms have said so in books. I mean this is not debatable.”</p>
<p>If a school advertises that their admissions are need-blind, but they have Adcoms stating otherwise in books, it sems to me that lawsuits would quickly follow. I am confident that there would be no shortage of lawyers from State U. salivating for a chance to take a prestigious school to court with a slam dunk case like that.</p>
<p>Can you state the title of one of these books that you have read?</p>
<p>The only instance where I have heard of a highly selective university considering economic status is on rare occasions when taking students off the Wait List. If June arrives and a place opens up for the Wait List but all FA money has been allocated, a school might consider ability to pay only as a convenience. At that point it would be senseless to admit a student who needs aid since no money is left. Also, this case would only affect a handful of students on an occasional basis (not every year). I believe this arrangement is usually detailed in the fine print of Wait List letters so that it does not violate the Need Blind policy.</p>