I honestly assumed that acceptance was NEVER based on ability to pay. That seemed to be a completely separate issue to me.
They are.
No. Not always. Some colleges / universities consider an applicant's ability to pay when making acceptance decisions.
Here's a link discussing GW's decision to use a "need-aware" policy:
GW Need Aware Acceptance Policy Just because a student gets accepted, doesn't mean the door is opened. There's still the issue of being able to pay for it.
That's why colleges are ranked into categories regarding how sufficient their aid packages are for prospective students with financial needs. Many of the best colleges are in the "full need" category: they meet 100% of that need.
Well, if you know one college financing success story, you know one.
My point is that there are opportunities for the brightest students to go to the best schools despite the sticker price. There are over 50 colleges and universities in the US that have need-blind admissions and cover the full financial needs of their US students. That means if you can get in, you can go. You try to make that sound insignificant, but it's not.
The fact that some high school students don't know this is lamentable, but it doesn't change the fact.
