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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Chiming in with a naive question, as this thread is terrifying!   :shock:   Wait, so schools make admission decisions based on whether the families also applied for financial aid?

I'm moving to the area in summer 2019 with my son; he'll be a student there for two years.  We applied to several private schools, and also applied for financial aid.  I was looking at it as, hey, if we qualify for financial aid, great; if not, I'm willing to blow through my non-TSP savings to pay for a couple of years of private school.  (I was assured by a wealthier friend that most families who work for my employer qualify for some amount of financial assistance.)

So, wait, it's possible that we're going to be turned down by schools not because of my kid's qualifications or lack thereof, but rather because we applied for aid?  I guess I thought that those two applications were more separate -- that a school might say "You're in! but you didn't qualify for financial aid," and then a family would have to decide whether or not they could afford to accept the admissions offer.

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Unfortunately you’ve assumed wrongly. While it is true most schools assess an applicant in their own right based on merit FIRST and separately assess financial aid based on income - and while a small number of schools will extend admissions separately and regardless of the school’s ability to offer financial aid - the vast majority of schools, and ALL of the elites, will waitlist otherwise qualified applicants if they’ve applied for financial aid but the school is unable to make an award. Some schools are transparent about this while for others it’s less obvious. It is a rare school that can afford to be truly needs blind. [/quote]

It's me, the naive parent, coming back to report.  My son was accepted to our first choice, and we were also notified that we don't qualify for financial aid.  I'm just happy that giving financial aid a shot didn't count against us!  I'm fortunate that I can afford the tuition by making sacrifices -- it'll be worth it, I hope.[/quote]

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