Do I need to fill out the FASFA for merit scholarships?

So I 100% know that I am not going to qualify for federal financial aid so I don’t see the point in filling out the FASFA. If I don’t fill out the FASFA however does that mean that I won’t qualify for other scholarships such as merit scholarships?

It depends on the school if they require the FAFSA to be filed for merit scholarships.

We did not qualify for a Pell grant, but we qualify for a state grant. We would not have gotten the state grant without filing the FAFSA.

Also you cannot get federal student loans without filing the FAFSA.

It’s up to the entity giving the scholarship. D#1’s school does require the FAFSA. D#2’s school does not (and Florida Bright Futures does not) but I found that the school will wait for the FAFSa before filing processing any FA including merit and the BF award. If you aren’t going to file the FAFSA, make sure the school knows that so they don’t delay processing any merit awards.

We were told outright by one college we visited that only students who file the FAFSA are considered for merit aid.
At several other colleges our daughter applied to she was awarded a merit scholarship before submitting the FAFSA. And at the college she attends, despite having a merit scholarship that renews as long as she maintains the required GPA, she still has to fill out the FAFSA every year. Go figure.

Bottom line, colleges all do it their own way. And yes, not filling out the FAFSA could potentially result in your missing a merit scholarship, depending on the school.

It depends on the school. My daughter had a full tuition merit scholarship at her school for 4 years, and we never once filled out the FAFSA. I’ve heard of other schools (although not many) that require FAFSA for merit scholarships.

Vanderbilt does not require filing FAFSA when awarding merit scholarships. But once the scholarship is awarded, you need to fill out and submit the FAFSA. Once you fill it out, it won’t change your merit scholarship. You don’t need to fill out FAFSA for UChicago in order to get a merit award, but I had the impression that if you did fill it out (and showed need) then your merit award might be higher than if you had not filed it. Just the way it works at two schools. It is best to call the FA office at the schools your kid is interested in, since it truly depends on the school.