<p>I'm a little confused. My daughter applied EA and she checks her status online. Although we hope she'll get some merit aid, we don't expect to qualify for any need-based aid although we know we have to file the FAFSA this year and the CSS. She hasn't mentioned seeing anything about financial aid showing up as missing.</p>
<p>Today she got an email from NEU saying that she should file the CSS in order to be considered for financial aid. We are scrambling to complete it, but their website says it was due yesterday for early consideration.</p>
<p>I thought FAFSA/CSS were just for need-based aid. I guess we dropped a ball somewhere.</p>
<p>The email seems to imply that if she gets the info in ASAP, they can still consider her. They sent the mail this afternoon, so it's already past their deadline.</p>
<p>Does anyone know how this works? Thank you!</p>
<p>Same issue. But even if they gave a small amount of need based aid, I’m sure it can’t be added to larger merit aid. So I’m guessing I shouldn’t even apply? (I had checked the box earlier saying I would apply for financial aid, not sure why…)</p>
<p>I guess that is what happened with her too … but do they want you to complete FAFSA and CSS for the first year if you are applying for any aid, merit included? </p>
<p>Or is this strictly for need-based aid? </p>
<p>I guess she checked it off, it never hurts to apply, and we’ll need her to take that $5500 loan anyway. We’ve done a couple of prereads with financial aid at other schools and that’s what we got back – a big fat $0 and the $5500 loan.</p>
<p>We got that email too. I think our EFC is like $40,000 so we will get zero aid as well. Sometimes you need to fill out the financial aid stuff to be considered for merit or other scholarships.</p>
<p>Fill it out even if you don’t think you will get anything. Our EFC was like $40,000 last year for our daughter at GW and we DID get some this year that was not loans. Not alot, but every little bit helps. This was for her Sophmore year and from Fasfa filing, but again, it is worth the try.</p>
<p>The early deadline was 12/1. My husband called today and they told him they were accepting them through next week. And the regular decision deadline is in February, so I don’t know if it matters, but we wanted them to have the whole picture. It takes a while to go through the info if you haven’t pulled it together yet. We had it from some other prereads … good luck!</p>
<p>The CSS is for financial aid, not for admissions, so you won’t be knocked out of the running for not filing it early.</p>
<p>Oh wow this is so confusing. I got that email too, just yesterday, and I have been scrambling to figure out what it’s all about and if it will effect admissions. I thought I had until around January to even start FAFSA and all that. This is so confusing!</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure that you don’t have to file the css by Dec 1st for financial aid - you only have to file it that early if you want to get an ‘estimate’ financial aid package with your early acceptance letter. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure you can simply file FAFSA and CSS by the regular deadline, and receive the financial aid package at a later date.</p>
<p>“I think our EFC is like $40,000 so we will get zero aid as well.” - Fill out the forms. Total expenses for NEU (and most private colleges) is well above $40,000.</p>
<p>My parents have around $300,000 which was being saved up. After my dad stopped working, he got deferred comp and invested this money. The financial planner assured them that the money would be avaliable when it was time for me to go to college, but he lied and the money is tied up for about 5 more years. On the financial aid forms it looks like we have a significant amount of money, but none of it is avaliable for a while. Should we add this info on the special circumstances section?</p>
<p>lexid123, that is a tough question. You or your parents should probably call the financial aid office, or college board and ask them. My guess would be that it will depend on the type of investment and any penalties for early withdrawal. At any rate, that money WILL be available to them, so I don’t think it would qualify you for grants, maybe loans.</p>
<p>Yeah, because we will have the money to pay for college right now, but at this point, not so much… We were assuming we’d get loans as well… I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Thank you for your advice!</p>