Should I bother with FAFSA?

[leahjade]

We didn't get anything at all the past two years and my son doesn't do work study so I wonder if it's worth my time?

 

[clh2]

This is MY OPINION only.

Yes - fill out the FAFSA. We'll be doing that. We also believe that we won't get anything either.

Why are we bothering???

Because DD's merit scholarship from the college requires it (The one condition that is part of the scholarship is that the college's scholarship "pays last". ) So the amount of her scholarship might be affected if she received any grants. (Now - I know that based on our income, that is not even a remote possibility.) I don't even think that DD will qualify for any work study - however, she will most likley get a job (hopefully on campus) for 10 or so hours a week.

 

[Sadie22]

Yes, you should continue to fill it out every year, and your son should be seeking out scholarships every year. There are usually some just for upperclassmen, and some given by academic departments. You may need to have completed the FAFSA for him to qualify for academic scholarships, not just need-based.

 

[tinkmom2]

I would say yes! Not filling out the FAFSA is like wasting a coupon for me! (It kills me if I don't have a coupon lol) I didn't think I would qualify either but I got a 2 Grants. (Grants you don't have to pay back) That pays for my tuition and books and I also have money left over for living expenses. Every little bit helps!

Also there are schlorships for almost everything under the sun. When I initlally went to college 20 years ago I had a full schlorship. All of this I would have never gotten without filling out the FAFSA. My school has a website you can check for schlorships on.

 

[MrsPete]

We did ours already, and I was disappointed that our EFC was 2xs the total cost of study. Still, if it opens any doors for merit aid, it'll be worthwhile.

We expected it, of course, because we'd done unofficial online predictors . . . but it was a shock to actually see that number. We certainly feel middle class.

 

[Abbie]

Guess I'll be the dissenting vote! We are on our third child in college, all back to back so just wrapping up our 9th straight year. (Three to go!) I've done the FAFSA several times and each time only qualified for a non-subsidized loan of about $2000. Rejected it each time in favor of saving a little bit harder in order to have them graduate with no loans outstanding. Filling out the forms was just not worth the time and effort.

All three kids received major academic scholarships, though, and if our school required the FAFSA in order to receive the scholarships, you bet I'd be filling out those things!

 

[cats mom]

Yep, many universities require a FAFSA be on file before applying for merit based awards as well, so it's not always just about need based aid. I'd say better safe than sorry.

 

[SandrA9810]

When I resubmit the forms, all my info was there in the system. I just have to double check to make sure nothing has changed.

It was a lot easier to do it the second time around than the first. Just remember the PIN and it's easy.

 

[HM]

We did not fill the forms out last year as we're paying it all out of pocket. No need if we're not expecting to get money from any other sources, right?

 

[BubMunkeyBles]

Yes. A lot of schools require it (my private university did). I didn't qualify for grants, but my parents couldn't afford for college with their current expenses and I needed the federal loans.

 

[Sadie22]

We did not fill the forms out last year as we're paying it all out of pocket. No need if we're not expecting to get money from any other sources, right?

There is a need as you will not be eligible for money from other sources if you do not complete this form. The year we moved i made less money. The son who was in college that year received an additional grant that year that we were not expecting. You never know when your circumstances might change. The form was required for merit-based aid as well. There are scholarship programs for upperclassmen. Keep searching for opportunities.

 

[RitaE]

I wouldn't if my son's school didn't require. It irritates me every year that I have to broadcast our private financial information when we receive no need based financial aid and we don't apply for any loans anyway.

Privacy is a very tenuous concept in today's world.

 

[Sadie22]

Guess I'll be the dissenting vote! We are on our third child in college, all back to back so just wrapping up our 9th straight year. (Three to go!) I've done the FAFSA several times and each time only qualified for a non-subsidized loan of about $2000. Rejected it each time in favor of saving a little bit harder in order to have them graduate with no loans outstanding. Filling out the forms was just not worth the time and effort.

All three kids received major academic scholarships, though, and if our school required the FAFSA in order to receive the scholarships, you bet I'd be filling out those things!

My sons, who attended instate schools for undergrad, had academic scholaships, and the FAFSA was required every year in order to maintain the scholarships. It was also required for one through the large corporation which employs my husband, and for the national competition one son received funds from as an upperclassman. So while they did not receive any federal funding (unlike their mother did years ago), the FAFSA figures were used for other programs.

 

[englishteacha]

I worked in financial aid in college and we got this question all the time. I would say, yes, fill it out. You never know what you might get. Our university (small public liberal arts college) used the FAFSA for merit aid, need aid, and also to help determine some of the scholarships the university administered. My husband qualified for no aid except loans one year, and then his mother fell seriously ill. Her income was cut in half, and he was able to go speak to financial aid about the situation and sure enough, he was eligible for need-based grants and other sources of funding. If he'd never filled out the FAFSA in the first place, they couldn't have helped him at all. If you don't file the FAFSA, you're not even in the financial aid system.

I guess my perspective is, it's kind of like insurance. You may never need to use it, but if something happens, having it on file can totally save the day!

 

[Maggie Lizer]

Going back to the 1990s, we never filled one out for me nor my sister because we didn't need student loans (saved up and paid for college & grad school) and knew there was no way we'd qualify for anything need-based (Dad earned too much money, but ew weren't rich by any stretch). I was awarded a few merit-based scholarships and back then you didn't have to do the forms to get the money for those. I take it that last bit has changed now?

 

[eliza61]

We didn't get anything at all the past two years and my son doesn't do work study so I wonder if it's worth my time?

It's funny because all the schools my son applied to, FAFSA was not an option. If he wanted to be considered for any scholarships the FAFSA form had to be filled out.

 

[Sadie22]

Going back to the 1990s, we never filled one out for me nor my sister because we didn't need student loans (saved up and paid for college & grad school) and knew there was no way we'd qualify for anything need-based (Dad earned too much money, but ew weren't rich by any stretch). I was awarded a few merit-based scholarships and back then you didn't have to do the forms to get the money for those. I take it that last bit has changed now?

Some schools ask that the FAFSA figures be provided to them. Some also have their own forms. I shudder to think what might have happened if I had not filed any one of those forms by the deadline (which was February 1st, if I recall) for some of my sons' state and institutional scholarships. Free rides and almost free rides are definitely worth completing a few forms. They did not qualify for any federal aid other than loans. They were eligible for lots of other programs.

 

[Abbie]

My sons, who attended instate schools for undergrad, had academic scholaships, and the FAFSA was required every year in order to maintain the scholarships. It was also required for one through the large corporation which employs my husband, and for the national competition one son received funds from as an upperclassman. So while they did not receive any federal funding (unlike their mother did years ago), the FAFSA figures were used for other programs.

Well y'all were making me nervous that I had missed something so I checked again with our small private university and the guidelines for the merit scholarships have not changed. They are given regardless of need so the FAFSA is not required in order to get or keep them. You do need to maintain a certain GPA. They do not award more than one merit per student so I'll stand by my decision to forgo the FAFSA.

I figured all merit scholarships worked like this but obviously not! It's important to be sure what your particular school requires.