Public colleges and universities admit students based on their qualifications, without regard to their need for financial aid.

有些公立大学和大学允许学生依据自己的资格去进行申请，并没有考虑自己需不需要有奖助学金的帮助。

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Her head and her heart were really into Columbia as her first-choice school, even though she intended to apply for need-based financial aid.

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If you're also applying for need-based financial aid, don't worry about private scholarships decreasing your award, says Keema Echols, president of the Kenaly Complement, a financial aid consulting firm for higher education institutions.

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USC's calculator is meant to provide only an estimate of what a family might get in need-based aid, says Thomas McWhorter, the school's dean of financial aid.

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