<p>I have done one of the calculators for estimating financial aid, and we would not qualify for need-based aid. However, we hope that he will at least be offered merit aid. Therefore, as S is completing his applications for music schools, I just want to make sure that we are not making a mistake by indicating that he does not intend to apply for need-based aid. Temple, which is one of the schools to which he is applying, requires filing FAFSA in order to qualify for merit scholarships, so we'll be completing it anyway.</p>
<p>You might be surprised…sometimes they do give you something even though the indicators tell you that you wouldn’t qualify. As long as you have to fill out the dreaded form anyway, why not send it to everyone?</p>
<p>It’s conceivable that he may want a particular on-campus job at some point – not necessarily for the money – and he’d have to be in the FAFSA system to even be considered.</p>
<p>Check with the schools where you want to apply. We had to file the paperwork for aid for DD’s merit award at Rice. We knew we did not qualify for need based aid and had not filed for any of the other 3. But you could not get the merit award without it.</p>
<p>Our music kiddo also had to complete the finaid applications. His school required them for awarding merit aid. Also, by completing the FAFSA, the kiddos are eligible for the Stafford loans which are in their names. We required both of our kids to take some of these loans as their “financial skin in the game” for college. We will help them pay these loans back as long as we can…but they didn’t know that until they graduated!!</p>
<p>You should not assume that all schools will make their financial aid calculations exactly the same way as the one calculator that you used. Some may be more generous than that in awarding need-based aid. On the positive side, you may want to send them a copy of that FAFSA to maintain eligibility for whatever aid they may be prepared to offer. As TrumpetDad notes, some on-campus jobs are restricted to those who have work-study assignments, which usually require filing a FAFSA. As pretty much everyone notes, different schools may require different paperwork (FAFSA, CSS Profile, and/or school-specific forms) for any type of financial aid or scholarship, so it is important to know exactly what each one wants for the initial award. Once enrolled, it is important to know exactly what they need for continuing the award in subsequent years.</p>
<p>On the negative side, not all schools are need-blind when admissions decisions are made. The audition will always be the most important consideration for top music programs, but there is a slight chance at some schools that need-based aid could become a tipping factor when there are multiple similarly-qualified applicants on the border between an acceptance and a waitlisting, or between a waitlisting and a rejection.</p>
<p>You have all made very helpful points, and I would have never thought about the on-campus jobs. I’ve told S to indicate that we intend to apply for aid. Thanks very much for your input.</p>
<p>Work study is a federally funded NEED BASED financial aid award. If your child does not have financial need, it is unlikely they will qualify for work study.</p>
<p>But you do not need work study necessarily to get an on-campus job. DD is a life guard. It is not work study. Some professors also have assistants that are not work study. You have to check around.</p>
<p>Right on, thumper! I was scrolling down and getting ready to post and saw that you beat me to it! In addition, most schools have far more applicants for work-study jpbs than they have positions. Prof’s assistants are usually upper classman if not grad students- VERY rarely do those spots go to new students.</p>
<p>jazzkat – the college counselor at our daughter’s high school urged us to file for financial aid at every school she applied to. She said that some schools won’t even consider applicants for merit aid unless a financial aid form is file, whether the student qualifies for financial aid or not. I guess I’m echoing what SingersMom07, exemplified with Rice.</p>
<p>jazzkat, Having gone through it this year I did complete the FASFA even though we did not expect any aid as some colleges do require it complete for any scholarships. Only thing to be aware on the Stafford Loans is once you complete the FASFA the college will probably assume you want to take Stafford Loans even if you don’t anticipate using them so may have to unwind that from the financial picture as I did. Don’t think my sons college requires FASFA for merit scholarships, think it is mainly the private ones that do, so next year will not need to submit the form. Short answer, first year do the FASFA as you never know and then decide going forward based upon experience.</p>
<p>I’m in the same boat, however only one of the schools S is applying to requires FAFSA forms to be filled out to be considered for merit aid. But he already filed some applications having checked the box NO, (that we do not “intend to seek financial aid”, because it was BEFORE we knew of this requirement). And technically, we are not seeking financial aid, so it’s a bit confusing. I’m assuming, perhaps mistakenly, that since the question contained the word “intend”, we’re not required to notify schools that we are indeed filling out the FAFSA for the one school that requires it.</p>
<p>j/smom,</p>
<p>No worries - submitting your information to fafsa.ed.gov does not obligate you to apply for any sort of financial aid. If you intend not to apply for need-based aid at some of the schools to which your son has applied, you need not notify them that you have filled out the FAFSA forms and you do not have to include them on the list of schools that get the resulting report. Of course, you may still want to send the FAFSA report to the school that your son attends, even if they do not require it this year, to assure maximum eligibility for both need-based and merit-based awards in future years should your situation change. Some schools really want to have a baseline from first year onward in such cases, particularly when it comes to distributing their own funds.</p>
<p>If the only reason for not applying is that you already know you will not get need-based aid anywhere . . . apply anyway</p>
<p>For 2 reasons. </p>
<p>Because- and trust me on this - neither you nor that financial aid calculator you are using know enough of about each of your school’s financial aid calculation methods to know for certain that you are out of the running . . . and almost all calculate at least a wee bit differently than others.</p>
<p>God forbid, but if your financial situation changes in the next 6 months, you can ask for reconsideration based on changed circumstances, and will have a form ready to amend.</p>
<p>Like Chuck Berry said . … “it goes to show you never can tell.”</p>
<p>Kei</p>
<p>You do not need to fill out finaid applications for REGULAR on campus jobs.</p>