Anonymous
Post 08/01/2025 08:26     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
In a similar boat, OP. We have high net worth due to inheritance and can easily cover all costs, but nothing about our lifestyle signals this. Not our house, nor job titles, nor ECs.

Will leave off SSN, but otherwise our kids will have to get in like everyone else. They already have a massive leg up in life so wherever they end up will be fine.
Anonymous
Post 08/01/2025 08:15     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:My family is the Director of Financial Aid at a top20 school and at his/her institution need-blind means need blind. They have no contact with admissions until the list is sent to them to match the students to aid. He/she meets with the Board quarterly and has to present financial aid numbers and they can swing wildly year-over-year and he/she will say, "hey,--yes, this year our office needs $10 million more than last year but we didn't choose the students."

Now this does not mean that Admissions does not pick kids who have signs of wealth AND also does not include kids who may get a bump as "development" cases who are brining with them a large check in addition to tuition.
But financial aid and admissions at this institution have NO contact prior to admissions offers being made. There is no reason for my relative to make this up. Things may be different at other "need blind" schools.


I believe this to be true, but agree with what other person posted from a podcast, they have formulas ingrained and can get close to what they need without them speaking.
Anonymous
Post 08/01/2025 07:51     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:Wait, in MD, it’s required to fill out FAFSA??? This is news to me. Does that mean you have to put SSN on common app? Wasn’t planning to put SSN.

Are we really putting income on college board site?

First, most states that "require" FAFSA for high school grads offer some sort of waiver. Second, submitting FAFSA does not obligate one to actually apply for financial aid.

Applying for aid does mean you would have to put SSN on the Common App. Common App does not ask for income and is not a College Board product. Maybe you were thinking of the CSS Profile, which is a College Board product and is required by some colleges only for those applicants applying for financial aid.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 22:40     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
How do they know sibling’s ability to pay?

Agree at need blind, FA doesn’t talk to AO but not hard for AO to figure out something from app. May not always be accurate but mostly they probably are.

Wait, in MD, it’s required to fill out FAFSA??? This is news to me. Does that mean you have to put SSN on common app? Wasn’t planning to put SSN.

Are we really putting income on college board site?
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 15:15     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:My family is the Director of Financial Aid at a top20 school and at his/her institution need-blind means need blind. They have no contact with admissions until the list is sent to them to match the students to aid. He/she meets with the Board quarterly and has to present financial aid numbers and they can swing wildly year-over-year and he/she will say, "hey,--yes, this year our office needs $10 million more than last year but we didn't choose the students."

Now this does not mean that Admissions does not pick kids who have signs of wealth AND also does not include kids who may get a bump as "development" cases who are brining with them a large check in addition to tuition.
But financial aid and admissions at this institution have NO contact prior to admissions offers being made. There is no reason for my relative to make this up. Things may be different at other "need blind" schools.


The bolded is the key phrase here. Of course a need blind school doesn't check in with financial aid to determine their acceptances. But they do know how to size up a student's ability to be full pay. Examples of ways are zip code/home address, parents' occupation, attendance at expensive private school, sibling's ability to pay, etc.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 14:59     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:My family is the Director of Financial Aid at a top20 school and at his/her institution need-blind means need blind. They have no contact with admissions until the list is sent to them to match the students to aid. He/she meets with the Board quarterly and has to present financial aid numbers and they can swing wildly year-over-year and he/she will say, "hey,--yes, this year our office needs $10 million more than last year but we didn't choose the students."

Now this does not mean that Admissions does not pick kids who have signs of wealth AND also does not include kids who may get a bump as "development" cases who are brining with them a large check in addition to tuition.
But financial aid and admissions at this institution have NO contact prior to admissions offers being made. There is no reason for my relative to make this up. Things may be different at other "need blind" schools.


This may be true but once it is finished the yield models will be checked to see if the expected tuition budget will be met by that pool. And if not it will be sent back for expansion or a larger than normal proportion will be waitlisted for use in meeting revenue requirements. All schools including "need blind" schools have baseline revenue targets which is why ED and Waitlists are what they are.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 14:50     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. My kids go to an affluent public school. I think college has gotten so expensive that people have limited their kids to state schools unless they have a child that will get a huge financial aid package or have the ability to stroke a check.


I always find this odd that these families have money, spend a fortune on housing to be in an affluent area and don't want to pay for college or grad school.


Well then you’re not thinking it through it properly. That expensive house was $800k when they bought it. When they sell it, they earn a profit. Upwards of a million dollars. Or more. Because they’re so busy paying their monthly mortgage fees- and saving for retirement and paying for health care and kids’ sports - they haven’t been able to save $400k for one child. But through careful discipline, they HAVE been able to save $120-150k per child. And that child will go to an in-state public university.


It is very hard to save for retirement and save $400,000 per kid for college. If you have 3-4 kids that is a lot of money. Not many people kill it financially in their late twenties and early thirties. So, at best they have ten years to sock away cash before college.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 14:35     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. My kids go to an affluent public school. I think college has gotten so expensive that people have limited their kids to state schools unless they have a child that will get a huge financial aid package or have the ability to stroke a check.


I always find this odd that these families have money, spend a fortune on housing to be in an affluent area and don't want to pay for college or grad school.


Well then you’re not thinking it through it properly. That expensive house was $800k when they bought it. When they sell it, they earn a profit. Upwards of a million dollars. Or more. Because they’re so busy paying their monthly mortgage fees- and saving for retirement and paying for health care and kids’ sports - they haven’t been able to save $400k for one child. But through careful discipline, they HAVE been able to save $120-150k per child. And that child will go to an in-state public university.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 12:21     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:This is an interesting question. My kids go to an affluent public school. I think college has gotten so expensive that people have limited their kids to state schools unless they have a child that will get a huge financial aid package or have the ability to stroke a check.


I always find this odd that these families have money, spend a fortune on housing to be in an affluent area and don't want to pay for college or grad school.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 12:19     Subject: Re:how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Under “hobbies” list: Educational Philanthropy?
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 12:17     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:My family is the Director of Financial Aid at a top20 school and at his/her institution need-blind means need blind. They have no contact with admissions until the list is sent to them to match the students to aid. He/she meets with the Board quarterly and has to present financial aid numbers and they can swing wildly year-over-year and he/she will say, "hey,--yes, this year our office needs $10 million more than last year but we didn't choose the students."

Now this does not mean that Admissions does not pick kids who have signs of wealth AND also does not include kids who may get a bump as "development" cases who are brining with them a large check in addition to tuition.
But financial aid and admissions at this institution have NO contact prior to admissions offers being made. There is no reason for my relative to make this up. Things may be different at other "need blind" schools.


Error--mean to type "Family member."
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 12:17     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
My family is the Director of Financial Aid at a top20 school and at his/her institution need-blind means need blind. They have no contact with admissions until the list is sent to them to match the students to aid. He/she meets with the Board quarterly and has to present financial aid numbers and they can swing wildly year-over-year and he/she will say, "hey,--yes, this year our office needs $10 million more than last year but we didn't choose the students."

Now this does not mean that Admissions does not pick kids who have signs of wealth AND also does not include kids who may get a bump as "development" cases who are brining with them a large check in addition to tuition.
But financial aid and admissions at this institution have NO contact prior to admissions offers being made. There is no reason for my relative to make this up. Things may be different at other "need blind" schools.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 12:05     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
I think AOs have been pretty open about this tbh in podcasts, interviews, etc. Not like, "we love rich kids!" but more nuanced. I'm not going to dig into YCBK archives but in the last 6 months I heard a director of enrollment at a need blind college say, "we have a budget too - our final class is sent out to the budgeting office before we confirm to make sure we're in the neighborhood. And I've been doing this so long, I'm almost always pretty on the spot"

He is saying - I know for every homeless kid, I need two full pay kids. I know I'm okay admitting kids who can pay 50k - a lot more okay than kids who can pay nothing. We're reading applications - we read this too.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 11:52     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:AOs at need-blind schools will be offended that you are trying to play this card. When they're clear that they don't use finances, but you decide they should, you're basically telling them you either don't believe they are adhering to their policies or that you deserve special treatment.


I can’t possibly imagine OP’s child’s application will “offend” them considering all of the obnoxious applications they must come across.


It probably won’t offend them, but it might be a good laugh around the office.


There’s no office. You people are clueless.

When the reader advocates for a full pay fit, they have more room to advocate for a needy kid they really like. You guys all need to read more about how this works.

Also, during shaping, ability to pay matters. Even at need blind


You have ZERO evidence for this. You think they are all lying and have been for decades with no confessions? Thousands of AOs?

That's the college admissions version of Q-anon.
Anonymous
Post 07/31/2025 11:47     Subject: how do you signal full pay to need blind schools
Anonymous wrote:At need blind colleges, do you really get a bump for being full pay?

No.