What 'meets full need' actually means

A school that meets full demonstrated need covers the gap between its cost of attendance and what its formula says your family can pay. The catch is that the school defines need, not you.

Some use the CSS Profile rather than the FAFSA alone, which asks for home equity, business assets, and non-custodial parent information. Their number can differ substantially from the federal one.

'Meets full need' also doesn't always mean without loans. Read whether the school's policy is no-loan or need-met-with-loans, because they produce very different four-year outcomes.