Do you have to fill-out the FAFSA even if you are not applying for financial aid?

<p>This was never the impression I got, however, I am now confused..
My family has decided that we are not going to apply for financial aid. When we decided this, I thought that meant I had no reason to fill out the FAFSA.</p>

<p>I have now been told that no school will award me a merit scholarship if I have not filled out the FAFSA forms. Is this true? Or at least true for some schools? And are there any other forms that I will need to fill out in order to be considered for scholarship?</p>

<p>some schools will require that a student file the FAFSA in order to receive merit money while others will not. Your best bet is to read each schools’s financial aid website. Some schools if you do not file for financial aid freshman year, you will nto get aid in subsequent years or you will be at the end of the line in subsequent years. </p>

<p>If you need a loan to make attending your school doable, if you file the fafsa, you will be able to borrow up to $5500. Because life happens, if you have a change in your financial situation, it is easier to go to the FA office if you have already filed.</p>