<p>I always tell my kids that we are "not made of money" but we are fortunate that our family makes far too much to qualify for need based financial aid. That being said I was told that we still need to fill out the FAFSA and the CSS Profile forms so our daughter would be eligible for merit based scholarships. Why is that? Do we really have to do this for merit scholarships? She is a valedictorian, with a 2020 SAT and 4.75 weighted GPA (4.0 unweighted), six AP classes and TONS of EC's in Student Council, Volleyball, Chess Club and National Charity League. She also works part-time at Nordstroms. So she might qualify for some merit scholarships depending on the school, I think? So do we really have to submit those forms?</p>
<p>Some schools do require, or at least request, the FAFSA. Until this year it was required for Fl Bright Futures which is a merit based program. Maybe more schools will stop requiring it for merit only, but make sure you ask before just not doing it.</p>
<p>If the schools require the forms, nothing else on your daughter’s “resume” will matter if she doesn’t submit them. Check with each school to see exactly what they require in order to be considered for merit-based aid.</p>
<p>The schools get to make the rules. Most schools do NOT require FAFSA or CSS to qualify for merit awards. However, some do. If she’s applied to schools that require it, then what you and I think won’t matter.</p>
<p>Your D’s Math + CR score (not the writing score) will largely determine whether she’ll get merit. Schools that give merit, don’t often care about the other things (ECs, Val, etc) unless the award is competitive and those things help with down-selection. </p>
<p>So, did your D apply to schools where her Math + CR score is well within the top 25%? If so, and the schools give merit then she’ll likely get some. IF her M+CR score is average for the school, then she may not get any.</p>
<p>Thanks for your responses. Her Math + CR = 1390 but she applied to a lot of top level schools. I will call each school and see who requires the CSS Profile. We sent the FAFSA to all of her schools because her counselor said to do it even though we won’t qualify for Federal Financial Aid. The CSS Profile is incredibly intrusive and time consuming and if we aren’t going to qualify for aid it just doesn’t make sense to me to send all of that info in. I wonder if you have to send it in though to even be considered for admission? </p>
<p>You don’t have to do the CSS Profile for Admission if you are checking the box that says you are not applying for financial aid. I think it unlikely any school will require it for merit aid. Check with each college she applies to to be sale. May top colleges do not give any merit aid, so read the pages on each college website.</p>
<p>“Her Math + CR = 1390 but she applied to a lot of top level schools.”</p>
<p>Then it’s likely that she won’t get merit from those schools. Most top level schools do not give out much merit…and some don’t give out any merit (Ivies, Stanford, MIT and some others don’t give any merit)… when they do, they tend to give it to students with very high test scores. I would imagine that the recipients would have at least a 1500 M+CR. At top schools, a 1390 wouldn’t be in the top 25%. Top schools are filled with kids with high GPAs, lots of ECs, etc. It’s those with high test scores or some other needed hook that usually get their merit awards.</p>
<p>You say that you’re “not made of money” but won’t qualify for aid. Are you willing to pay full costs for these schools? If not, did your D apply to any schools where you will pay full costs or where her 1390 is high?</p>
<p>Have you looked on the scholarship page on each schools’ website? If not, then do so. That’s where it should say if CSS or FAFSA is needed. </p>
<p>Yes she applied to 12 schools total and of those three are reaches and the rest are either matches or safety schools. And we will pay if she gets accepted to any of the schools. I agree that her score is not high enough for merit funds for a few of the schools she applied to. That’s why I said “depending on the school” in my initial post. But yes we will pay full boat if we have to. And happy to do so! She has worked her fanny off for 12 years, is a GREAT kid (biased of course) and we have the resources. One safety has already accepted her and will be giving a substantial amount in merit scholarship money to her. As far as her dream school goes we hope that she just gets accepted:) Thanks for your help. Now that it is Monday, I will call the financial aid office of her schools that are asking for the CCS Profile and ask if they need it for merit based scholarships. </p>
<p>Fill out the FAFSA so it’s on file and you can send a copy of the SAR if a scholarship program or a school needs it to give out some money. Also call each school, and make sure there aren’t any awards that need it. Most of the time, that is not the case, but, yes, it can happen that it is. Yes, some school won’t give merit without the form on file. When you call, you can find out if PROFILE is also needed. </p>
<p>Out of all of my kids, only two programs required a SAR from FAFSA to get an award, and one was because it was some government based program where a son got a full ride, but they want to make sure that any governmet money he is entitled to get is received to offset their funds. THey don’t want a PELL eligible kid, not getting the PELL for example, or state money and using their scholarship money in place of those entitlements. By making the kid get those awards, it saves them some money out of their honey pot. </p>
<p>The FA office may not be the office that awards merit. It may be the Admissions office or the Scholarships office, depending on the school. </p>
<p>Since you’re willing to pay full-freight, then fabulous. Nothing to worry about!</p>