<p>My daughter decided rather late in the game to attend the local public univ. She's starting classes tomorrow. It's pretty affordable, she's living at home, and she paid most of the first quarter fees with her own money. My question is, is there any value in my filing a FAFSA for her for the 2008-09 school year? I see on the FAFSA website you can file anytime prior to July '09.</p>
<p>I know the deadlines have long since past for aid applications to the school itself for their scholarships and grants, and they're past for the state too, as it understand it.</p>
<p>Is there any reason to file a FAFSA? Is there anything that might be gained by it for the winter and spring quarter of this school year?</p>
<p>Not too late for federal aid. If her EFC is low (<4042 ) she would qualify for some Pell money. If not she may still qualify for Work study and will qualify for Stafford loans. All students qualify for the Stafford loans though only if there is need will they be subsidized. She must file FAFSA to get Stafford loans.</p>
<p>Thank you, swimcatsmom! I was thinking about this in August, but somehow I just got a little confused and thought the July '08 deadline for filing FAFSA was for this school year. Then I looked more carefully and realized that deadline was for the '07-'08 year. Egads.</p>
<p>This is good though. She should at least qualify for work-study and then she can borrow if she needs to. ...I don't think she'll need to this year since she's living at home, but the work-study would be a help all by itself since it's easier to get on-campus jobs here for work-study students. Also, when I run the FAFSA calculator, it looks as though since I have two in college now she might be eligible for a little Pell grant money. I'll have to check that out again.</p>
<p>In anycase, it's obviously worth filing, and that was my main question. I was hoping you'd answer. ;) You always seem so informed about these things!</p>
<p>So I filed a FAFSA online for my daughter and it came back with an EFC of 3615. My son's FAFSA EFC (I filed for him in January before we knew daughterling would also be in college this fall) was 5495. His was, of course, based on there being 1 student in college, and hers is based on 2 students in college. I guess her EFC puts her range for some Pell Grant money.</p>
<p>I am wondering about whether it's necessary to update my son's FAFSA now. I am not in search of getting more money for my son. He's at a very generous Profile school, and while he didn't get any Pell grant money, he got enough institutional aid for us to afford his costs this year. So I don't have any desire to flush out Pell money for him for this current year. I'd just as soon not amend his FAFSA unless there's some compelling legal or technical reason why I would be remiss in not doing so.</p>
<p>I would recommend calling the FA Office and letting them know that your daughter decided to attend college this fall to. It may mean some additional funding for your son and it never hurts to ask :)</p>
<p>No need to update your son's info. It was correct at the time you filed it.</p>
<p>Aren't you glad you filed for your D?! The only caution is that it's possible there is no more work study to award (that's the case where I work). The Pell will be a big help. Next year, if you file earlier, you may get FSEOG, too. Also, is your D eligible for the Academic Competitiveness Grant? If so, she will get $750 this year. Here's the link: Student</a> Aid on the Web</p>
<p>Thanks for the comments, Nikkiil and kelsmom. It would be so great if there was some work-study money available. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Kelsmom, how does a person find out about that? Will her college notify her? In my son's case that information was included in his financial aid award from his college.</p>
<p>I read through the questions for the ACG. She's a homeschooler and only 16, so she techinically only did 2 years of "high school" -- as homeschoolers we don't look at it in typical years, but instead in course work completed. The ACG for example asked that a student have 3 years of math. Well, she completed Alg 1&2 and Geometry, so 3 years' worth of math, but she did it in 2 years... anyway there are several irregularities in trying to account for her education and the way the questions are asked on the FAFSA, so I decided not to push it and just let that go, even though she really is an exceptional student. Sometimes I'm just adverse to confusing things. I'd hate to get involved in having to validate her non-traditional learning to a bureaucracy... if you know what I mean. Next year it will be easier because she'll have a year of college grades on her record.</p>
<p>My daughter has work study and it came as part of her award letter. Last year she had an outside job so did not use the award the 1st semester. She asked the financial aid people about it and was told that if she was not going to use it to turn down that part so they could award it to someone else. Which she did. So if they are out of WS funds right now it might be worth asking periodically to see if any have become available.</p>
<p>Helpful tip, swimcatsmom. Thanks. If no work-study comes through I'll have her check-in with the financial aid office about it and see if anything turns up. The work-study students at the school here have first crack at on-campus jobs, and there really isn't much available in the community for students her age, so an on-campus job would be really helpful. (She has an off-campus job at the moment, but it's seasonal and will end in about 2 weeks.)</p>
<p>Schools have different policies on work study awarding. Best to talk to the school's financial aid office directly. The easiest thing would be if she is awarded work study on her letter - then she can just apply & see if anything is still open. The school where I work has a huge population of poor students, so work study goes fast. We are getting ready to find out if we can free up some of the awards that students aren't going to use in order to be able to award it to students who will use it & have not yet been packaged (awarded) for the year. This is not how the other school where I worked did it, so I don't know how common this system is.</p>
<p>Don't assume your D won't get ACG. Talk to the aid office. Rules for home schoolers are pretty fair. You may be very pleasantly surprised.</p>
<p>Thanks, kelsmom! All the insights are so helpful.</p>
<p>When my son was applying to college last year, he and I were so organized (well, I was organized and he was cooperative) and we got everything done ahead of deadlines and followed all instructions to the tee. The well-planned process appealed to the petty administrator in me, and went the way it was supposed to go.</p>
<p>Now Dear Daughter is a different animal. She decides well past the typical "application season" to go right to the local public univ. at 16 (with plans to transfer to the honors college at Flagship State U. next year), and everything with that process has been catch-as-catch-can. I guess it's good for me. ;) Staying flexible and all.</p>
<p>She had nearly enough money to pay for the first quarter herself, we'll have to see how things work out for the winter and spring quarters, but it's not too expensive and I think we'll figure it out. She has an uncle willing to help out a little, too.</p>
<p>She had her first day of classes today. She's in hog heaven. Just loved it. .....And here I am filing a FAFSA after school has actually started. Geeesh.</p>