AOs and financial aid office

[Anonymous]

Is it true that the financial aid office runs aid packages for all the applicants, not just the ones who are admitted (or likely to be admitted)? For the top schools with sub-10% acceptance rate, isn't that a lot of extra un-necessary work (the 90% of kids that are not admitted)?

Is it also true that the financial aid offices don't see any info from the applications themselves, and vice versa - the AOs don't see the financial aid packages the applicant are getting? There's no sharing of info between these two offices (is this true at ALL schools?)?

if that's the case, how do the top schools make sure they don't run over budget every year (eg taking in too many financial aid kids)? How do they balance the budget??? They don't "fudge" the aid packages to make the numbers work???

[Anonymous]

This has been answered. Search on here. It happens in "class shaping"

Btw, if a school uses Slate, they can check to see if a decision has been made on their application.

https://www.reddit.com/r/ApplyingToCollege/comments/1opnhr6/you_can_check_when_aos_have_made_your_decision/

[Anonymous]

Class shaping is done through software, not by looking at the kids & their packages one by one.

[Anonymous]

They have to start working now to have packages ready for the accepted kids. If they waiting until admissions was done, the packages wouldn’t be ready for months.

[Anonymous]

What school are you asking about?

[Anonymous]

Forgot but doesn't common app ask if you (kid) needs aid? If you select no, don't reviewers know you don't and if you select yes, they know you need aid (one way to shape class)

[Anonymous]

NP: would love how the T20 and Ivys works - they have so much volume, how do they make it work every year?

[Anonymous]

Is the fin aid packaging process done one by one? or do they feed all the FAFSA and CSS info into their software and formula, which then spits out the results?

Wouldn't this be pretty fast and painless, all through software and automation?

[Anonymous]

How different is the process for QuestBridge applicants? Do they get different or special treatment? Whether they apply through the Match, or apply through the EA/ED/RD rounds (and just mention Questbridge as an award)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How different is the process for QuestBridge applicants? Do they get different or special treatment? Whether they apply through the Match, or apply through the EA/ED/RD rounds (and just mention Questbridge as an award)?

What do you mean special treatment? If a student matches with a college through the early process, which is a sort of early decision, they get a Match Scholarship for the full cost of attendance. If they apply later (if they didn't match) and are accepted, they are offered the financial aid they are eligible for. (This will often be very generous, since most Questbridge partner universities, have generous financial aid, and the students' families tend to make $65K or less every year.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How different is the process for QuestBridge applicants? Do they get different or special treatment? Whether they apply through the Match, or apply through the EA/ED/RD rounds (and just mention Questbridge as an award)?

What do you mean special treatment? If a student matches with a college through the early process, which is a sort of early decision, they get a Match Scholarship for the full cost of attendance. If they apply later (if they didn't match) and are accepted, they are offered the financial aid they are eligible for. (This will often be very generous, since most Questbridge partner universities, have generous financial aid, and the students' families tend to make $65K or less every year.)

For QB applicants, is there more communication between the AO readers and the fin aid office to make sure the kids get good aid? Or is the process the same (as any other applicant), which is this (this is my understanding, so I could be wrong): AO does the reading in their office, fin aid office does their aid packaging at the same time (and doesn't know anything else about the applicant - only their FAFSA/CSS info). At the end, if that kid is marked "Accept", then the decision is sent to the kid along with the aid package.

Does the QB kids get the same treatment? meaning when the fin aid office works on the aid package, do they know if the kid is QB? Especially if the kid is applying EA/ED/RD, and not through the match?

[Anonymous]

I wonder if there would be more communication between AOs and financial aid office this year for the QB kids (to get them admitted with good packages), since the schools seem really keen to focus on low income kids

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot but doesn't common app ask if you (kid) needs aid? If you select no, don't reviewers know you don't and if you select yes, they know you need aid (one way to shape class)

But "yes" could mean needing (qualifying for FA) $70k/yr or just $10k/yr. Just seeing "yes" doesn't tell much?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Forgot but doesn't common app ask if you (kid) needs aid? If you select no, don't reviewers know you don't and if you select yes, they know you need aid (one way to shape class)

No, because that button means nothing. All kinds of kids apply for aid who won't get aid. And maybe the student who presses the button will only get $10K/aid which in the colleges' eyes is as good as not needing aid.
No decisions are based on saying "yes" to applying for aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Forgot but doesn't common app ask if you (kid) needs aid? If you select no, don't reviewers know you don't and if you select yes, they know you need aid (one way to shape class)

No, because that button means nothing. All kinds of kids apply for aid who won't get aid. And maybe the student who presses the button will only get $10K/aid which in the colleges' eyes is as good as not needing aid.
No decisions are based on saying "yes" to applying for aid.

So - sounds like AOs do see how much each kid need as they shape the class? Even for "need-blind" schools like Ivys?