<p>I have a question regarding requesting financial aid and the FAFSA. Some background: my D2 (HS junior) has a widely varying list of colleges. At least one is "FAFSA-only", and the others have prices that vary widely (some are quite expensive, some not quite as much). We only filled out the FAFSA once for D1 (year when I had some financial difficulties); the other years we were full pay (D1 had a good merit scholarship). I have spent down my non-retirement assets quite a bit since we filled out the FAFSA before (paying tuition will do that!), but EFC is still fairly high. Also, ex-H recently remarried, and most of D2's schools are CSS/Profile schools. He did not pay a penny for D1's college eduction (she is graduating this year), although he says he might pay a few thousand a year for D2. All of D2's schools are common app schools. A few of D2's schools are need blind, but some are not.</p>
<p>So...is it possible to apply for need based FA at some schools, and not others? Specifically, is it possible to apply for FA at the schools that claim they are "need blind" and the FAFSA only school, and not the others? I get the impression it is not, since it is a checkbox on the common app. However... it has been a few years since we did the common app for D1. The year she did it, we could create a separate version for each school (which she did, as it allowed her to tailor her essay for each school, which was important because each school asked different supplemental q's and she could make sure each app had the strongest combination of essays). But I remember that maybe that ability was going away the next year... </p>
<p>Sorry, complex description with a lot of info here. But I am guessing you guys know the answer to this. :)</p>
<p>Mmm. I am still interested in the answer for the current Common App/FAFSA/CSS Profile, but just saw that the Common App is rolling out a new online system for 2013. So who knows what choices we will have when that happens… Can’t wait to be part of the first year’s worth of students applying with a brand new system. :(</p>
<p>Bump… no responses, thought I would try again. Is it possible to apply to fill out the FAFSA and CSS, but only apply for need based aid at some colleges on D’s list?</p>
<p>The short answer is yes. The longer answer is - may be a challenge with the Common App. My D1 (now a junior) did not apply for FA to one of her schools. More because I felt she may get more merit aid from this school if they thought she was full pay and they would try to woo her with money (my gamble paid off - but it was never a top choice). So she had checked the box as applying for FA on the Common App and then sent an email (or perhaps a letter) to the one university and explained that she would not be applying for financial aid. There is a better way to do this - I believe you can revise your common app or make a second copy. If they change the Common App next year - I would ask the College Board how best to perform this maneuver with the new version. Good luck. I too am a divorced Mom whose Ex just got remarried. D2 is waiting on FA packages/admissions as we speak!</p>
<p>S2 didn’t “like” the common app when he was going through applications a couple years ago. He just made new copies and treated each application as a unique application. Hopefully the common app will be alittle less common and allow for these minor differences in how kids and families approach the individual colleges.</p>
<p>Can I pay the full cost? Maybe… IF everything goes perfectly. I have a small business that usually does well, but some years there are issues… If I don’t have any health or family issues (parents are getting elderly) that mean I have to take time off from my business… The ex-H might actually pony up a few thousand a year toward tuition, but he is unreliable. so if he actually does this… If ex-H doesn’t retire early (and take mine and the kid’s health insurance away when that happens); that will be a financial hit – and he could retire as early as D’s sophomore year, but he isn’t saying what his plans are… If, along with all the other scrimping/saving tactics, I put all retirement savings on hold for about 5 years… If my parents, who have generously gifted me several thousand dollars a year for several years continue to do so (but no guarantee of that at all)… If the stock/bond markets don’t tank again (happened during D1’s college years, and that darned 529 “age banded” investment that was supposed to be in very safe investments by the time they were 18 lost 1/3 of its value)…</p>
<p>Why wouldn’t she apply for aid? Because (and you surely know this, Thumper) at a school that is not need blind, it could mean the difference between getting in or not. Also, honestly, her odds of getting FA are slim because of ex-H’s remarriage (even though he didn’t pay anything for D1, and may not come through with anything for D2 either). Not saying for sure what decision we will make on this (some of those variables above might be clearer in a year), but I am a planner and want to know what our options are.</p>
<p>To answer your question… You do not have to apply for aid at all schools.</p>
<p>Free advice here…</p>
<p>College is a four year plan. You need to feel comfortable paying for ALL four years. There are some schools that meet full need who will not allow your child to apply for institutional aid in subsequent years if you don’t apply as an incoming freshman.</p>
<p>The “edge” for being a student who doesn’t apply for aid is a small one. Most believe this would be in situations where the school may be looking at two equal candidates and chooses the full pay one. In other words, your child would still need to be a competitive applicant. Simply being full pay is not going to garner an acceptance if the student isn’t a competitive applicant to begin with.</p>
<p>You say your child probably wouldn’t qualify for aid. That being the case, she would cost the school the same amount in aid as a student who didn’t apply…nothing. There would be no difference when the need aware school looked at their bottom line.</p>
<p>You have a lot of “ifs” in your scenario.</p>
<p>What good will an acceptance do if you can’t pay the costs for all four years?</p>
<p>*[edited out] *I have successfully put one kid through a $50K=/year private college as a single parent with no help from her other parent, and she will not have one penny of debt. I am well aware that some schools won’t allow application for FA after the first year (which is why it would be dumb for ANYONE to not apply for FA at a need blind school – for example, there are very few people in the US who could withstand a financial double whammy like a job loss and serious health problem, and still foot the bill for one of these schools, so why wouldn’t you keep the door open for FA just in case?). Is that going to happen to us? Probably not, but I like to examine all scenarios and “insure” where I can.</p>
<p>Here is a question that I have not seen answered anywhere else (although it probably lurks deep in these threads):</p>
<ul>
<li>When a school is NOT need blind, are they looking at the amount of need the student would be offered when they compare candidates? Or does that application just get put into the “needs aid” pile, and it reduces the student’s odds the same whether they would be granted little/no aid or if they would be granted a large amount of aid. Not asking for opinions… would like to know if anyone has actual facts on how this works at top 25 LACs.</li>
</ul>
<p>It is very easy to do multiple versions of the common app. If you decide to file differently at different schools that should not be an impediment.</p>
The way I read that (and as I recall from an article posted by another forum member) once you get close to the cut line for admission the students who don’t have financial need (or less financial need) will be admitted over those who need more.</p>
<p>From what Erin’s dad posted…it sounds like Reed actually looks at the need issue…from the calculations.</p>
<p>BUT that is a very good question. If a student has no financial need but checks the “applying for aid” box on the common application…will that automatically put that student at a disadvantage for need aware schools? </p>
<p>It would seem like it shouldn’t…because the student doesnt have need…if they are need aware, one would think they actually are looking at the level of support the school will need to provide.</p>
<p>BUT hoping someone with experience can answer this one…it’s an excellent questions.</p>
<p>I think the way Vonlost stated it (I hope I have the right poster), Reed is need blind each year until they can’t afford to be. Then they are need aware for admission.</p>
<p>With need aware schools…what if a student DOES apply for financial aid but their family contribution is computed to be the cost of attendance say…$55,000 for the year.</p>
<p>Does the need aware school look at the amount they would have to fund the student (in the case of the above example…nothing) or do they JUST look at the box that says “applying for financial aid”?</p>
<p>I honesty don’t know the answer…but if they are need aware…wouldn’t the school have computed the level of need?</p>
<p>An excellent subtle question, if checking the Requesting Aid box causes rejection, or if the school’s aid award calculation causes it, when the FA budget is depleted. I’ll try to find out (for Reed, at least).</p>
<p>Bumping again… interesting that no one seems to actually know the answer to this question for sure. </p>
<ul>
<li>When a school is NOT need blind, are they looking at the amount of need the student would be offered when they compare candidates? Or does that application just get put into the “needs aid” pile, and it reduces the student’s odds the same whether they would be granted little/no aid or if they would be granted a large amount of aid. Not asking for opinions… would like to know if anyone has actual facts on how this works at top 25 LACs.</li>
</ul>
<p>Honestly, I have no idea what the real answer is…but one would think that if they were need aware, they would actually calculate the actual need. Otherwise, how would they KNOW if a student really HAD need or not.</p>
<p>I do hope someone can answer this. It may be that it varies from school to school as well. Who knows?</p>
<p>Check first…some schools will not allow you to apply for institutional need based aid in subsequent years if you don’t apply as an incoming freshmen…note…APPLY…not actually need or accept aid…just apply.</p>
<p>This still seems to be the relevant question. If financial aid is needed, the extra admissions edge doesn’t really matter, right? </p>
<p>Now that I think about it, I suppose it might be a viable (and clever!) strategy for schools where you could apply in subsequent years if necessary, but not the first year. Is that the strategy?</p>
<p>MisterK, as posted above, borderline on “need” (and some of the schools are more expensive than others, so I feel more confident with some than others that I can pay). But as I posted above, I think there are very few families that are completely immune to a health and/or job downturn in our economy these days. I am a single parent, and my ex is not going to bail me or my kids out if something bad happens. So having the option to apply for aid in future years would be good, even if D gets no need based aid to start with. Since some schools won’t allow you to apply if you didn’t freshman year, it is a consideration. Sort of an insurance policy – why not do it at schools that are need blind? Or even schools where if you don’t need much aid freshman year if it doesn’t ding your admissions chances in any noticable way? Hence my question on how the colleges actually view a request for aid if none/little is being awarded. But this is very mysterious, I think… no one seems to have any concrete information on how the admissions offices handle these cases. I don’t think I have ever stumped CC before. :)</p>
<p>And, who knows, maybe D would even get something at the need-blind schools (even work study is a good thing).</p>