<p>Our EFC exceeds the cost of most of the schools my son is applying for, yet with another child in college the cost is too much to handle without merit aid. Does having filled out the FAFSA and CSS impact the amount of merit aid for his musical talent. Woudl you recommend deleting those schools that don't require it. Thanks </p>
<p>My feeling is that one cannot get merit aid without at least having put in a FAFSA, at least at the schools I have experience with. Perhaps it is not that way everywhere.</p>
<p>Any school that awards financial aid is going to want the FAFSA. I think they require it for official record keeping! 
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<p>Actually there are a few that do not require FAFSA for merit-only aid. But it takes ten minutes to fill out a FAFSA and then you can easily reactive the account for subsequent years, so so why not?</p>
<p>For undergrad DD applied places that required it and those that did not. It did not seem to have a great impact on her merit awards. The top one with and the top one without were close to the same. The FAFSA is not the hard part. I am so glad I am no longer doing the CSS. That was the horrid one when you are self employed. </p>
<p>The FAFSA is for Federal aid whereas the CSS is for “Non-Federal” aid, although a lot of schools don’t bother with the second. The CSS requires that the income of BOTH parents be reported and that can pose a real problem for some who have an uncooperative or non-supporting ex.</p>
<p>Call the financial aid office at the school and ask. Many do require that you complete the FAFSA for any aid, need or merit, Federal or institutional. Some want you to complete it if you may receive any aid ever in the time your student is there. It is more common that the schools that meet full need (or close to it) require the CSS Profile. Again, it is case by case so just call for specific rules for each target school.</p>
<p>Ugh-- I just started the FAFSA for this year and it’s changed again-- more complicated. I had to call them with a question this morning. On the plus side, they were very nice and even answered on the first ring. </p>
<p>Our son received a generous merit award from Oberlin before we sent either the CSS or FAFSA to to the school. The merit award letter stated that it was based on his composition portfolio and interview. I don’t know if the merit award would have been greater had the school received the forms prior to acceptance. Oberlin pretty much made up the difference between the merit award and tuition through grants after the forms were filed. The grants were in line with our EFC. S also received a full tuition music composition scholarship from a state school without filing any FA forms. </p>
<p>Our experience mirrored Compdad’s. S received the offer of a significant merit award following attendance at a summer program which preceded not only FAFSA but also the college application process. He also received an offer of approximately 90% tuition, room and board from a state institution following his audition, but again, well before FAFSA completion.</p>
<p>If we could have waited to fill out the FAFSA & CSS until after audition season was over, I’m thinking our EFC would be much lower! We are just eating through our savings this month with all of the flights, hotel rooms, rental cars, eating out, etc.<br>
Hopefully it will be worth it in the end!!</p>
<p>Every school is different, for the conservatories my son applied to (with one exception, a totally free ride program), we had to fill out the FAFSA for any kind of aid. In terms of how merit aid is granted, juilliard’s admission sight says outright that even with merit aid it is need based, other schools will give merit aid based on performance regardless of income, others are a mix. </p>
<p>All these stories of giant merit aid are heartening! :x </p>
<p>Saintfan heartening yes but remember your son plays an extremely popular instrument and there are very few full rides for that instrument. Be reallistic, know where your child really stands if possible. Does your son play vibraphone? Does he play any melodic intsrument?</p>
<p>My son got merit scholarship awards from Oberlin and Indiana prior to our submitting FAFSA. I wouldn’t call them giant but they are decent and most welcome. A professor from Indiana contacted my son to assure him that they would also be looking at providing additional scholarship/aid packages once audition/interview season is over and they work with the financial aid office. Our impression was that the composition departments (at least at these two schools) had some merit awards that they controlled without consideration of need and that there were other merit and need-based awards at the conservatory/school and college/university level that could be packaged together. I imagine this varies tremendously by school, by department, and by instrument. </p>
<p>Yep - totally understood bigdjp which is why I am trying to build a really comprehensive list of schools and hoping for something affordable as opposed to a full ride. (this is me giving up on trying to choose the right emoticon to mean a happy and not snarky ‘reality check totally appreciated and understood’ while still holding out a tempered, realistic hope)</p>
<p>IU does give flat-out merit awards. You will get the award close to or on April 1. Not sure if FAFSA is required to accept the award (some schools do require this; it’s not to do with need so much as with their records, for their own analysis.) In other words, you may be required to do a FAFSA at some schools even if you do not have an EFC below their COA, but it will not impact your merit award.</p>
<p>How bad is it if I miss an institution’s deadline to file the FAFSA (it is due today)? My S’s tax return still is not completed–waiting on more information from his summer employer. I tried entering “Will File” but it still asks pretty specific numbers that I can’t even begin to try to estimate. I’m not even sure yet which form he will use to file–and the FAFSA specifically needs that. But, if missing the deadline would mean losing out on scholarship money, I will just make something up and change it later! </p>
<p>I don’t think it will matter much if you are a day late. They have a huge pile of work ahead of them and are not out to make it impossible for your kid. He can always file an estimate (I’ve done this in the past-- I have 4 kids, so many many years of FAFSAs.) It’s note difficult to go in and correct. </p>
<p>PM me, if you want to talk about which school it is. I had recent correspondence at one school both our kids are applying to that you might find comforting.</p>