FAFSA and grad school

[PrincesCJM]

I recently applied and was accepted into grad school to complete my master's in education. I am employed as a teacher and will be paying for school out of pocket and with reimbursement from my school district upon completion. Should I still complete a FAFSA? I have no desire for loans and I am afraid that's all they are going to say I can get.

 

[bridget]

I filled it out to see what would happen (although I already pretty much knew what it would say). I was only eligible for loans. I didn't take advantage of them. I didn't feel like it hurt to try. I only did it once though.

 

[juliebean]

I used to work in financial aid and it is almost all teaching/research assistantships and loans for master's degree financial aid. That being said - it's always better to do the FAFSA and that way you can be sure to have not missed out on anything! How great that your job will pay for it!

 

[Hannathy]

I'm confused didn't you say you will be reimbursed by your school district? why would you need financial aid? Are you going to submit a reduced bill to your district if you got aid? Isn't his double dipping if you are going to get aid from the government and then turn around and get full compensation from your school? Doesn't seem fair, if you are getting aid from your school why take it away from kids and people who won't be getting reimbursed.

 

[disfan07]

I agree with Hannathy.

If you are going to get reimbursed for the entire cost of your Masters by the school district, I would not fill out the FAFSA just because I dont think it would be fair. There are so many other people who will never get reimbursed who need grants, etc and there is only so much money available.

 

[PrincesCJM]

I can be reimbursed for 9 credits a year from my district, at the state university rate. I will be taking classes elsewhere, where it is more expensive. Aid would be nice to cover the additionally classes. I'm far to honest of a person to double dip. If I received aid, I would submit a reduced bill.

 

[Sadie22]

Your institution or program may require you to complete the FAFSA or some other paperwork as a requirement for applying for institutional financial aid. As I recall DS was required to do so for tuition remission, in-state tuition rate for out-of-state resident, teaching assistantships, and fellowships. It depends on the field and the school as to how much funding is available to support graduate students.

 

[disfan07]

I can be reimbursed for 9 credits a year from my district, at the state university rate. I will be taking classes elsewhere, where it is more expensive. Aid would be nice to cover the additionally classes. I'm far to honest of a person to double dip. If I received aid, I would submit a reduced bill.

Ohhh...Okay. See that actually changes my opinion. If they wont be covering the additional classes than definitley fill out FAFSA. If you qualify, pay for what would be covered yourself and than use any aid to cover the other classes.

When my dad went back to try for his PhD about 7 years ago, everything was covered. There was no limit to how many credits he could get reimbursed for during the year so he did not bother filling out FAFSA becasue there was no point. So I just went by that experience and assumed that everything would be covered by the district.

 

[gacompguy]

There is no free Federal money out there for graduate students, but there are loans. That said, there may be state money or institutional money that is available for you. I know in my home state of Georgia, the state offers to re-pay student loans (in certain very specific situations) for both teachers and nurses.

You need to find out exactly what your reimbursement includes. Does it include just the line item "tuition" on your bill or does it include mandatory and other fees that you might have to pay as a student? Your best bet is to either call or e-mail the Financial Aid office at your school, explain your situation, and see if there is anything they can do to help. They can also tell you what questions you need to ask about your reimbursement plan so you don't get stuck with any charges you weren't expecting.