<p>Reed’s financial aid actually exists 
with 51% of 2008-09 freshmen receiving an average of $34,130 ([Reed</a> College 2008-09 Common Data Set SecH](<a href=“http://web.reed.edu/ir/cds/cds0809/cdssech200809.html]Reed”>Reed College 2008-09 Common Data Set SecH - Institutional Research - Reed College)). FA awards from various schools do indeed sometimes seem random, with each school applying its own criteria.</p>