I have a question. I have come across threads and articles discussing how colleges use the FAFSA to gage interest in their school. The school listed first usually is the first choice for that student. Then they suggest strategies to help- list in alphabetical order for example. My question is how others have dealt with this. What about if you won’t qualify for any aid? I know that some schools want the FAFSA completed for merit aid- CMU for example. Please let me know how other families have approached this. Thanks.
I believe it’s straw grasping. My kid’s FAFSA listed her target schools alphabetically. Colleges would be rather stupid to derive too much into that minute detail.
You’re proposing the following: the Princeton fin aid officer reviewing FAFSA apps. Sees student A’s document: 1) Yale, 2) Princeton, 3) Stanford. Calls up his admissions peer and says: “Student A views us as secondary to Yale! Reject him!”
This is a ludicrous and paranoid proposal
^^^ Agree with this.
There was a thread about this recently that I am sure you can find if you search.
Evidently, some public in-state colleges require you to list them first to be considered for merit awards or something like that. Other than that, what can really do about it anyway?
^ No, I wasn’t proposing anything. Read my thread. It says that articles have suggested making the list alphabetical order.
My D isn’t applying to Princeton, Yale or Stanford. Not the least bit interested in those schools. Thanks for assuming that she would be applying though.
I really don’t think that’s how the scenario would go though- financial aid calling admissions with a “reject him!”. That does seem ludicrous as you said.
What I understood from the articles was that the admissions person would have access to the list as just more data to take into consideration. How they use it is up to them. And maybe some schools resort to it and others don’t bother. I don’t know for sure though.
Well, thanks for the feedback but it wasn’t very helpful. I have researched it but not exhaustively though.
Geeeez, you ask a question here politely and you get sarcastic quips back. Let’s try to be polite.
I’m sorry – I wasn’t trying to be snarky. I’ve considered it as well but really feel that the reviewing officials have much better things to do than to extrapolate such an incredibly unpredictable point of datum.
If you are concerned about this, and you have many institutions that need to be listed, then do them alphabetically.
If you have only one or two places, then file the FAFSA with one, wait until the data clears, and then go back in, edit the name, and file it again.
How long does it takes for FAFSA to clear?
For some states, you have to list an in state public school on top of the list to be eligible for state funds.
Thanks for the more helpful responses. We actually won’t qualify for any need based financial aid. But I do know that some schools require the FAFSA to qualify for merit based scholarships- maybe some may also have a need based component attached to them.
Also, know other parents whose children are applying and wondering about this new information. For them it may actually be more relevant if their kid is applying to a very yield protective school and using the information to gage interest.
CC for the most part has been very helpful to me as a parent. There are a lot of very good willed people reaching out to give information.
My mom would say that there are people who are “maleducados” meaning a lack of education in how to treat others nicely. She would impress upon me how no matter how high your formal education is you are maleducado if you treat people rudely. I love my mom- lots of wisdom.
List alphabetically unless she is National Merit Winner and has to list her first choice for funding.
You mom and my mom must share the same train of thought: maleducados also included lack of scruples.
^ Our moms are very strong women. And she is headed toward National Merit unless she gets squirrelly and bombs senior year. Thanks!
“How long does it takes for FAFSA to clear?”
This can be a couple of days. You file the FAFSA, and then have to wait to get the email with the SAR so that you know it was transmitted to the colleges on that list. Also, if you file the FAFSA before the federal income tax return(s), then you have to go back into the FAFSA and link it to the tax return(s), and resubmit it. If you are sending it to separate lists of colleges, you have to remember to resubmit it to all of those different lists of colleges, and that can take a lot of time what with the waiting for the SAR each time.
That’s why the general advice is to go with alphabetical order unless there is some reason to put a specific state U at the top of the list. For example, Happykid was told to put an in-state institution on the first list in order to have access to state aid.
Thanks for asking this question! I searched this topic on CC and found it after reading an article in a magazine that suggested order matters and listing alphabetically was best. I plan on doing that and I’m glad others do, too. I would never have thought about it and might have even listed in order of preference.