Want a college admissions advantage? Don’t apply for financial aid

March 31, 7:40 AMCollege Admissions ExaminerLauren Starkey

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Admissions officers have touted their “need blind” process of accepting applicants for years; that is, they don’t consider whether students require financial assistance. That’s debatable everywhere but at those few schools with endowments so large they can offer aid to just about everyone. But this year, it’s laughable.

Yesterday’s New York Times article, “Paying in Full as the Ticket into Colleges” describes some of the ways in which admissions offices are letting in more wealthy students while maintaining their need-blind claim. They include admitting more students from the waiting list and more transfer students (all of whom are considered with full disclosure of their financial situation). Some schools have cut aid for international students, only accepting those who can pay in full (and accepting more of them, such as need-blind Brandeis University, where the acceptance rate for international students is up 10% this year). Or, they take into consideration other factors that may indicate a student’s ability to pay, such as zip codes or parents’ backgrounds.

With shrunken endowments, financial aid budgets can’t stretch to reach as many students as they have previously. And the need for that aid is greater than ever. So it’s no wonder the ability to pay has become an important factor.  Then why don’t colleges change their tune and admit what they’re doing?

Rodney M. Oto, director of student financial services at Carleton College, has the answer. “I do think we’d all be better off if we were honest with kids that you may not get in because you need assistance, or you need too much assistance.” But, as the Times explains, “Mr. Oto’s fear — shared by many other admissions officers — is that being honest will scare off students who might, in fact, qualify for financial aid.”

It’s a tough position for the colleges and for the students seeking admission. But for the foreseeable future, for those who can afford it, it might just make sense to forego the aid in favor of the proverbial fat envelope.