The FAFSA adds back pretax contributions as income as part of the calculation…for everyone…doesn’t matter what college they attend.
Get a paper copy of the FAFSA and you will see that this is there.
Now…what MIGHT…and I say MIGHT because there really isn’t any proof about this. Some profile schools do ask for the actual balances IN your retirement accounts. The FAFSA does not ask for this. There is speculation that some Profile schools might use this information…especially if it appears that the balance in the tax deferred retirement accounts is way out of line with the actual income…just like stated in post 11!