Applying for Financial Aid

So I will fill out FAFSA. Except on all of my college applications, I assumed I wouldn’t qualify for aid so I didn’t mark “applying for financial aid” on any of my applications. Will I still be eligible for aid?

You will always be approved for federal aid entitlements if you qualify. That means a Pell grant for low income (total available 5,500) and every student can take a federal student loan.

If you did not check box that you are applying for aid, the school won’t be giving you any from them no matter if you file FAFSA or not. Exception is merit award.

Also when you assume, is that an educated guess or just making it up? For UC they may give something usually for up to 140k income, although at that level it just may be a few thousand. Still foolish to walk away from it if you qualify.

Notify the schools that you’ll be applying so that they know to look out for and process your app. As long as the schools are need blind & no financial aid deadlines have passed, it shouldn’t cause any trouble.

Educated guess haha I researched a lot. There were people who make less who didn’t get aid so I didn’t think I would. But it was also ignorance on my part because I thought that box needed confirmation (like how the fee waivers require some sort of approval)