FAFSA question

[KKB]

How competative are the schools they are applying to? DD is looking at TCU, Elon, High Point & Duke (yep, a definite NC theme...and yet we live in Nebraska!) She is well aware that TCU, Elon & High Point will be more generous with merit packages than Duke (they only offer 90 freshman merit scholarships/year--BUT they promise your financial aid package will include no more than 5K/yr in loans--impressive for a school w/ $60K/yr expenses, ALTHOUGH how much of that is parent loans??!!) Less competative schools will offer much better packages.

DS 19 had a 30 ACT (took it 3x, improving a point each time) & 4.0 GPA, and an assortment of extra curriculars (no athletics), including philanthropy. Our state school offered him a measily $1K scholarship (I had lower ACT & GPA, went to same high school & I was offered half tuition!). Local private school & TCU offered him half tuition & Seton Hall NJ offered him a full ride.
(Not trying to brag--I just know how important a point of reference is for these things!)

He went to TCU & was also offered a nice sized grant & work study (we are both teachers--lunch break here). Last year he paid close to what we would have paid for full tuition/room & board at our state school. Costs did go up a chunk this year--we are so grateful that grandparents created college funds for our children to allow them to attend the school of their choice.

Never assume you will not get financial aid. College expenses are so off the charts, that you would be very surprised how much you might get--and every little bit helps!

Good luck everyone--it's a crazy ride!

 

[bcbmommy]

Have her call, they might not even talk to you as a one on one conversation. The one thing the schools all impressed to us is that they can't talk to parents. Even if you are paying every cent of their education, they will not discuss anything with parents. Not finances, not health issues, not housing issues, not grades. It's tough to let go like that but I understood and my kids knew that they needed to keep open communication with me.

Because my DD was a minor in college I had to sign extra permission forms for health services etc. But they said once I gave permission, they wouldn't talk to me about anything.

Ugh. Letting go of some control is going to be difficult, but I do understand. Thank you!

 

[bcbmommy]

How competative are the schools they are applying to? DD is looking at TCU, Elon, High Point & Duke (yep, a definite NC theme...and yet we live in Nebraska!) She is well aware that TCU, Elon & High Point will be more generous with merit packages than Duke (they only offer 90 freshman merit scholarships/year--BUT they promise your financial aid package will include no more than 5K/yr in loans--impressive for a school w/ $60K/yr expenses, ALTHOUGH how much of that is parent loans??!!) Less competative schools will offer much better packages.

DS 19 had a 30 ACT (took it 3x, improving a point each time) & 4.0 GPA, and an assortment of extra curriculars (no athletics), including philanthropy. Our state school offered him a measily $1K scholarship (I had lower ACT & GPA, went to same high school & I was offered half tuition!). Local private school & TCU offered him half tuition & Seton Hall NJ offered him a full ride.
(Not trying to brag--I just know how important a point of reference is for these things!)

He went to TCU & was also offered a nice sized grant & work study (we are both teachers--lunch break here). Last year he paid close to what we would have paid for full tuition/room & board at our state school. Costs did go up a chunk this year--we are so grateful that grandparents created college funds for our children to allow them to attend the school of their choice.

Never assume you will not get financial aid. College expenses are so off the charts, that you would be very surprised how much you might get--and every little bit helps!

Good luck everyone--it's a crazy ride!

My dd was a bit interested in Elon, as well, but ended up not applying there. As far as competitiveness, I'm really not sure. She applied to Kansas State University and Evangel University, and was accepted at both. I think Evangel has a 70% acceptance rate, but not sure about KSU. She is really leaning toward wanting to go to Evangel, and honestly, that's where I'd like her to go as well. It's a private Christian college, but not as expensive as some we've seen. Right around $28,000.
It's crazy how all over the place the colleges are with scholarships. I would think with your son's GPA and ACT, he could get close to a full ride anywhere! Wow. Btw, I don't take it as bragging. I'm trying to soak up as much information as I can, and it helps to know those things.
My dd has been homeschooled the past 2 years, so we've had the extra challenge of creating a transcript that included both public school and homeschool. So thankful that part of senior year is over!

 

[danygirl]

Two of my kids went to school in state at great state schools . The third is at a small private school out if state- her dream school - on a full tuition scholarship. Your school college counselor holds the keys to money - both of my girls got their scholarships after the college counselor told them to apply. Cannot say enough about how important it is to meet with that college counselor!

Older dd got 20k for having bad grades and then improving- awarded by a national foundation
Younger dd got 140k from a national foundation

We sent a nice edible arrangement to the guidance office!!

 

[bcbmommy]

Two of my kids went to school in state at great state schools . The third is at a small private school out if state- her dream school - on a full tuition scholarship. Your school college counselor holds the keys to money - both of my girls got their scholarships after the college counselor told them to apply. Cannot say enough about how important it is to meet with that college counselor!

Older dd got 20k for having bad grades and then improving- awarded by a national foundation
Younger dd got 140k from a national foundation

We sent a nice edible arrangement to the guidance office!!

Whoa. That's a good amount of money! When you say guidance counselor, you are talking about the college, right? Because as far as high school goes, I'm her guidance counselor. lol.

 

[mommymeg]

Subscribing... We are in the thick of it right now and paying for DD schooling is bringing me such anxiety! She has chosen a very reasonably priced state school who has offered about 20%/yr merit scholarship so far. We completed the FASFA already and were advised that even if you didn't expect to qualify for financial aid that many schools require it. I highly doubt that any merit scholarships could take finances into consideration. We are also in the process of applying for outside scholarships. Websites like fastweb have literally 100's of scholarships available. Our bank and my husbands Union also offer individual scholarships. I know the money is out there, it's just a matter of working a little bit for it.

My DD is in the top 8% of her class, 4.0 GPA with SAT's of 1800. She is a member of NHS, cheer captain and an honors choir soloist. She would probably be accepted at a more selective school but she knew from day one that this little mountain state school was to be her new home. My hope is to wait for our financial aid offer to arrive and then arrange a meeting with her admissions counselor to further discuss funding. I have friends who took this negotiating approach and it worked in their favor. The worse that they can say is there is nothing more they can do.

 

[KKB]

We did NOT qualify for any aid at our state school (tuition $10K/yr--really? we can pay that??!!); with the cost of private schools, most will qualify for something!

 

[bcbmommy]

Subscribing... We are in the thick of it right now and paying for DD schooling is bringing me such anxiety! She has chosen a very reasonably priced state school who has offered about 20%/yr merit scholarship so far. We completed the FASFA already and were advised that even if you didn't expect to qualify for financial aid that many schools require it. I highly doubt that any merit scholarships could take finances into consideration. We are also in the process of applying for outside scholarships. Websites like fastweb have literally 100's of scholarships available. Our bank and my husbands Union also offer individual scholarships. I know the money is out there, it's just a matter of working a little bit for it.

My DD is in the top 8% of her class, 4.0 GPA with SAT's of 1800. She is a member of NHS, cheer captain and an honors choir soloist. She would probably be accepted at a more selective school but she knew from day one that this little mountain state school was to be her new home. My hope is to wait for our financial aid offer to arrive and then arrange a meeting with her admissions counselor to further discuss funding. I have friends who took this negotiating approach and it worked in their favor. The worse that they can say is there is nothing more they can do.

That's a good point in regard to negotiating. Evangel contacted my dd about a month ago, asking if she's made her decision yet. They mentioned that she needed to get her housing deposit in so that she could have priority housing selection. Of course, this had my dd all concerned that she would get the worst dorm room available, but I assured her that it would be okay to wait a while longer. I'd like to know a little more before we make that big of a decision.

 

[dminnie]

I know from last year that we won't get anything except an unsubsidized loan. Anyone know if it's really important to get the fafsa done NOW, or can I wait until the end of the month when our taxes are done? I don't want to have to go in and revise the estimated numbers I could use now.

 

[spima3]

Just an FYI.


There is a thread for the High School Class of 2015 for anyone going through this college selection process with their seniors. Community Board.

It isn't the most active, but if more parents posted, it could be.

 

[roman14]

The timing of when you do your FAFSA isn't too important. Depending on the school's policies, they may be able be able to present your financial aid award even with your taxes showing a "will file" status. The only thing is if your FAFSA is selected for verification then you can't move forward with that until you present final tax information (unless an extension is involved). You would have plenty of time, I think, to wait on the FAFSA until you file your taxes. Or you can file the FAFSA now and update the information later, which if you use the Data Retrieval Tool once your taxes are filed, takes very little time to do. Some schools may not even be accessing 15-16 FAFSAs until February or so. I hope that helps someone! I work with this stuff everyday, so I thought I'd comment.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

The timing of when you do your FAFSA isn't too important. Depending on the school's policies, they may be able be able to present your financial aid award even with your taxes showing a "will file" status. The only thing is if your FAFSA is selected for verification then you can't move forward with that until you present final tax information (unless an extension is involved). You would have plenty of time, I think, to wait on the FAFSA until you file your taxes. Or you can file the FAFSA now and update the information later, which if you use the Data Retrieval Tool once your taxes are filed, takes very little time to do. Some schools may not even be accessing 15-16 FAFSAs until February or so. I hope that helps someone! I work with this stuff everyday, so I thought I'd comment.

Thanks!! Welcome to the Disboards!

Just an FYI.


There is a thread for the High School Class of 2015 for anyone going through this college selection process with their seniors. Community Board.

It isn't the most active, but if more parents posted, it could be.

Thanks! I'll check it out.

 

[Pembo]

Our paystubs have gone paperless and ever since a hacker sent an email to the entire hospital claiming to confirm our campus key & password, they shut down at-home access to our paystubs. So I've been good about printing them out while at work but I never did the last one. Will have to remember to do that tomorrow.




What is the benefit to filling it out now instead of just waiting until the end of the month after we file?

Are there any cons to filling it out now? Other than having to go back and edit with exact numbers later?

This is our first year with this.

I did estimated last year because we had some statements that didn't come until April 1. DS received a financial aid package that was slightly changed when we filed the exact numbers.

 

[Zim]

Are there any cons to filling it out now? Other than having to go back and edit with exact numbers later? This is our first year with this.

From everything I read, early FAFSA filing is dependent on the state... some states use a first-come, first-served basis. I don't know which ones, but essentially once you fill out the FAFSA you are prompted to send the information to your state aid site as well. My state (PA) wasn't listed as one of these first-come states, but I figure better safe than sorry.

As far as tax lines not lining up, I downloaded the 2014 tax form in order to match it to the corresponding 2013 line. My issue were codes on the W2 form not mentioned on the FAFSA, so I'm nervous about not entering correct items - but figure that will all fix itself when I redo the information automatically after my taxes are done. But everything I read says fill it out NOW, so I did.

We got an acceptance and merit offering from one of our DD's four applications before we even filed the FAFSA (and no, we didn't do any early application deadlines). We are waiting to hear from the other three, one of which is her top choice, and one is a shot in the dark (UCLA).

This was a good article, IMHO:

Forbes article

 

[IDoDis]

DD (college freshman) didn't get any aid from me filling out the FAFSA (aside from the student loan offer), but I did it anyway because her scholarship required it be filled out, even though she was awarded the merit money before a FAFSA was done.

I did it again on Jan 3rd this year and just used 2013 info which should be pretty similar to 2014 info. The Tax Retrevial link that you can access later on will do most of the updating for you after your tax forms have been submitted to the IRS.. It was interesting though that our EFC went up 3k from last year even though I used the same info that I put on last year's FAFSA. Go figure!

 

[Mickeyluver37]

From everything I read, early FAFSA filing is dependent on the state... some states use a first-come, first-served basis. I don't know which ones, but essentially once you fill out the FAFSA you are prompted to send the information to your state aid site as well. My state (PA) wasn't listed as one of these first-come states, but I figure better safe than sorry.

As far as tax lines not lining up, I downloaded the 2014 tax form in order to match it to the corresponding 2013 line. My issue were codes on the W2 form not mentioned on the FAFSA, so I'm nervous about not entering correct items - but figure that will all fix itself when I redo the information automatically after my taxes are done. But everything I read says fill it out NOW, so I did.

We got an acceptance and merit offering from one of our DD's four applications before we even filed the FAFSA (and no, we didn't do any early application deadlines). We are waiting to hear from the other three, one of which is her top choice, and one is a shot in the dark (UCLA).

This was a good article, IMHO:

Forbes article

Thank you for that link. I've read a lot on this and know about what to expect (a big fat nothing ) but I've never seen that colored chart before. And it's pretty close to what our EFC is, as well.

 

[floridafam]

Thank you for the link to the article. It's a waiting game at this point. We are hoping for merit based assistance and need based assistance. I may be mistaken but it looks like he could get more assistance from one of the Ivy League schools than some of our state schools (if he gets accepted to one.)

I'm going to update our info as soon as our taxes are done and hope and pray that it all works out for DS.