Some believe that only minority students, athletes, and academically gifted students get financial aid.

Nothing could be further from the truth! "Need-based" financial aid is solely awarded based on "financial need" which is calculated by taking the cost of attendance at a school and subtracting the family contribution (which is the minimum amount the government determines you can afford to pay based on your income and assets and your child's income and assets). Whatever is left over after you subtract these two numbers is your "financial need" or eligibility for financial aid at a particular school. If you haven't noticed, this has nothing to do with a student's ethnic background, athletic ability, or grades. It's based on this simple formula:
COA (Cost Of Attendance) - EFC (Expected Family Contribution) = FN (Financial Need)