Returning to the original discussion, a few years ago, we did not receive phone calls before hand but received the call on the morning of M10.
One was informing that we would be accepted as a Full Pay.
Another school did not have a decision on the portal on M10 but instead wrote to call the office. When I called, I was told an acceptance will be mailed IF we switch to Full Pay. Our EFC was close to the full tuition.
We would have made it work by going rice or beans but DS1 decided 50K is too much for high school and stayed home. Three years later, DS1 thinks 60K is too much for a college, so it looks like we won’t be spending much for his education.
Meanwhile DS2 is Full Pay in a boarding school and asks if he could go to an expensive college as well. 