Does everyone receive Financial Aid Refund?

No, not everyone receives a refund. A student only receives a refund when he has more financial aid than is needed to pay his bill with the school. When that happens the school has to return the overage to the student, and that's where the refund comes from. However, not everyone qualifies for enough aid to cover their bill. In fact, it is very common to have a gap between the amount of aid and the school's charges, so the majority of students actually have to pay that difference rather than getting a refund of excess aid.

You can’t evaluate FA on the basis of what you receive alone.

Some schools offer mor FA than others because they HAVE more money than others. However, the main reason some schools offer more aid is because they COST more.

In addition, you should evaluate which aid is likely to be offered every year, and which is for one year only.

Do NOT take out student loans. A student loan is long-term DEBT.

Go to a school, not because it offered more money... but because going there will result in the least amount of debt.

Student loan debt can ruin your life.