Does applying for financial aid decrease chances of admission?

[Anonymous]

It’s important to understand that “need blind” admissions is not a guarantee of meeting whatever need you may have. It simply means that purely in the admissions selection process, financial need is not considered.

It is entirely possible that a kid could be admitted and then told that the school can’t offer any aid or anything close to what the family believes is needed.

Many colleges have true need-blind and need-guaranteed programs based on income and assets, but I’m unaware of any DC-area independent having that policy or financial capacity.

[Anonymous]

Accepting someone who needs significant aid to attend and then not offering that aid would be a huge waste of everyone’s time and energies. That’s why it rarely happens.

Schools may say their admissions process is need blind. But they also know they can’t go through the Admissions cycle and end u admitting a class that can’t afford to go there and a limited financial aid budget.

Don’t listen to what they say. They might start the process with highly desirable candidates that need significant aid in the “accept” pile. But at the end of the day, there only so much financial aid money available.

[Anonymous]

Some boarding schools have the ability to easily meet full need. For example, St. Paul's school in NH is completely covered for accepted students with family HHI of less than $125k

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does applying for financial aid ( just to see if we qualify) typically factor negatively in admission decisions?

No. It doesn't.

[Anonymous]

If it does, you won't send your kid anyways so don't worry.

[Anonymous]

Ridiculous

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So a strategy is to apply no aid year one ( and gain admissions) and then apply for FA in proceeding years.

No, unless you have a major life circumstance that renders you unable to pay. If you can do it one year, why not the next?

Because you’ve watched your bank account drop significantly each month for a year, so much so that after one more year you will be net negative.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. So a strategy is to apply no aid year one ( and gain admissions) and then apply for FA in proceeding years.

We did this but we had a sibling following and so it was a change in circumstances. I don't think you can apply for aid following years with no change.

[Anonymous]

Probably not "acceptances", but will likely affect admission rates b/c some who are accepted may not receive the FA needed and thus decline admission.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every school is different so you should ask around about specifics. For instance, Burke will accept you and then tell you how much aid they can give you. It would be up to you whether to take the offer or not. Field school will reject you if they can’t give you the aid you say you need. Or at least they used to

Exactly our experience.

I’ll add that Lowell partially bases their decisions on FA needs and only admits if they can meet your need. They are very open about it, which I appreciated.

False. Our kid got into Lowell but we weren’t offered enough aid to meet our need.

Yeah we got accepted as well but weren’t offered aid. We make under 85k a year/family of 4. lol why even admit us. Sure let me just magically make $40k appear!

Frankly it's kind of nuts to be looking at private schools on a $85K income.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every school is different so you should ask around about specifics. For instance, Burke will accept you and then tell you how much aid they can give you. It would be up to you whether to take the offer or not. Field school will reject you if they can’t give you the aid you say you need. Or at least they used to

Exactly our experience.

I’ll add that Lowell partially bases their decisions on FA needs and only admits if they can meet your need. They are very open about it, which I appreciated.

False. Our kid got into Lowell but we weren’t offered enough aid to meet our need.

Yeah we got accepted as well but weren’t offered aid. We make under 85k a year/family of 4. lol why even admit us. Sure let me just magically make $40k appear!

Frankly it's kind of nuts to be looking at private schools on a $85K income.

You’re right. Only the privileged children of lawyers and private sector finance professionals deserve a quality education. Those of us in blue cooler and/or non-profit work should be grateful for our scraps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every school is different so you should ask around about specifics. For instance, Burke will accept you and then tell you how much aid they can give you. It would be up to you whether to take the offer or not. Field school will reject you if they can’t give you the aid you say you need. Or at least they used to

Exactly our experience.

I’ll add that Lowell partially bases their decisions on FA needs and only admits if they can meet your need. They are very open about it, which I appreciated.

False. Our kid got into Lowell but we weren’t offered enough aid to meet our need.

Yeah we got accepted as well but weren’t offered aid. We make under 85k a year/family of 4. lol why even admit us. Sure let me just magically make $40k appear!

Frankly it's kind of nuts to be looking at private schools on a $85K income.

You’re right. Only the privileged children of lawyers and private sector finance professionals deserve a quality education. Those of us in blue cooler and/or non-profit work should be grateful for our scraps.

The government already provides free K-12 school. If you want your kid to attend a $40k/year private school, you should pay for it yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every school is different so you should ask around about specifics. For instance, Burke will accept you and then tell you how much aid they can give you. It would be up to you whether to take the offer or not. Field school will reject you if they can’t give you the aid you say you need. Or at least they used to

Exactly our experience.

I’ll add that Lowell partially bases their decisions on FA needs and only admits if they can meet your need. They are very open about it, which I appreciated.

False. Our kid got into Lowell but we weren’t offered enough aid to meet our need.

Yeah we got accepted as well but weren’t offered aid. We make under 85k a year/family of 4. lol why even admit us. Sure let me just magically make $40k appear!

Frankly it's kind of nuts to be looking at private schools on a $85K income.

You’re right. Only the privileged children of lawyers and private sector finance professionals deserve a quality education. Those of us in blue cooler and/or non-profit work should be grateful for our scraps.

The government already provides free K-12 school. If you want your kid to attend a $40k/year private school, you should pay for it yourself.

I'm sorry but K-12 isn't free. It's your and my tax dollars. The government may not have used them wisely.

[Anonymous]

And if someone is working full time but still can’t afford private and their child is bored/unchallenged in a low achieving public school, you think they shouldn’t apply for FA? Isn’t that why FA exists??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:every school is different so you should ask around about specifics. For instance, Burke will accept you and then tell you how much aid they can give you. It would be up to you whether to take the offer or not. Field school will reject you if they can’t give you the aid you say you need. Or at least they used to

Exactly our experience.

I’ll add that Lowell partially bases their decisions on FA needs and only admits if they can meet your need. They are very open about it, which I appreciated.

False. Our kid got into Lowell but we weren’t offered enough aid to meet our need.

Yeah we got accepted as well but weren’t offered aid. We make under 85k a year/family of 4. lol why even admit us. Sure let me just magically make $40k appear!

Frankly it's kind of nuts to be looking at private schools on a $85K income.

You’re right. Only the privileged children of lawyers and private sector finance professionals deserve a quality education. Those of us in blue cooler and/or non-profit work should be grateful for our scraps.

The government already provides free K-12 school. If you want your kid to attend a $40k/year private school, you should pay for it yourself.

Why are you so angry about this? People donate to these schools so that they can offer financial aid. A lot of private school families believe socioeconomic diversity is important.