<p>[Will</a> I need my parents’ information?](<a href=“http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc02k.htm]Will”>http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/help/fftoc02k.htm) indicates that if both of your parents were deceased at any time after age 13, you are an independent student for federal financial aid purposes.</p>
<p>For need-based financial aid, check the net price calculators on the web sites of the schools you are interested in to get an estimate from each school. Your state of residency also matters, since some states’ public universities are much better than others at meeting need for in-state students (almost none meet need for out-of-state students). Private universities that meet need tend to be the most selective ones.</p>
<p>But also check the large automatic and competitive merit scholarships listed in the sticky threads at the top of this forum. Your GPA obviously matters here.</p>