Potstickers
Recycles dryer sheets
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2015
- Messages
- 146
What the universities are telling you is a technicality. The essays and other information provided on a college application can give a very good indication of the socio-economic background of an applicant even without FAFSA or CSS information. The common refrain I hear from some folks I know that serve on admissions committees is "perhaps what this student needs is to just be given a chance."
Most public colleges and a number of highly selective colleges are need blind: Students are admitted or denied without their need for financial aid entering into the picture. At the public schools, it is often the case that they don't provide enough financial aid. At private colleges, it varies from the incredibly generous schools like Harvard, to NYU, which is need-blind but which rarely provides adequate financial aid.
Many, many other private colleges are need-aware. They consider how much aid you look to need before they make an admissions decision. If you look like you need a lot of aid, they may seriously look at how much they want you before deciding on whether to admit you.