Anonymous wrote:We asked for financial aid but are full pay. How do I tell waitlist colleges that we will pay? They say that they are need blind.
If you applied for aid but are full pay you'll be fine.
Admissions looks at your kid's app and decides "we want this kid". They then go to financial aid and say "what will this kid cost us?" Financial aid says "nothing."
Admissions (even at need aware schools) is not basing their entire decision simply on whether (or not) the kid arbitrarily checked the Common App "financial aid" box. They know that countless kids apply for aid that won't get it.
They base their decision on the actual need once calculations have been made. Some kids who apply for aid will get nothing. Some will get $5K. Some will get $95K.
My very good friend is the director of financial aid at need-blind institution.