<p>I understand that FAFSA is primarily used to determine need-based financial aid. My family is not applying for need-based financial aid, but I would still like to be considered for work-study. Although we make enough money to not qualify for need-based, paying the sticker price of a private university (or a high-ranked public university) takes a hit to our "take-home" salary. I realize that students with financial aid packages will be given priority for work-study, but there are usually spots available for other students.</p>
<p>Do all schools require FAFSA for work-study? Also, FAFSA only allows 10 schools and I applied to more than that... what should I do about that?</p>
<p>Work-study is a federal need-based program, yes fafsa is required to get work-study and you need to have a certain amount of need to have it be awarded. Schools are given a certain amount of funds for work-study and they award it among their students with need according to their own process. Sounds like you may not have enough need to be awarded work-study.</p>
<p>You would have to file the fafsa in order to receive federal work study. But since it seems that you are not eligible for federal work study, it is not necessary to file the FAFSA. However, you will have to check at your prospective college to see what types of work study jobs are available as some schools will have jobs where the priority is to those who are on federal work study or have work study as part of their financial aid package.</p>
<p>Another question: I am also applying for merit-based scholarships and some schools require FAFSA. Does this mean I also have to fill out CSS for each college? It’s actually a lot more difficult to figure out which schools need FAFSA or not.</p>
<p>County…check EACH college for their requirements for merit consideration. If you are not clear from the website, call the school and ask. In my kids’ cases, they had to complete both the FAFSA and Profile for awarding of merit aid. I say this because BOTH received merit awards well in advance of the financial aid filings, but we had to complete the forms or they would NOT have received the merit money.</p>
<p>Schools will state specifically whether you need to file FAFSA, CSS Profile or both for merit awards.</p>
<p>As far as WS, there is Federal WS which requires FAFSA and Institutional WS which requires the Profile or other Institutional FA. For instance, we filed both FAFSA & Profile, D1&2 didn’t qualify for Fed WS but did qualify for Institutional WS.</p>
<p>@thumper1 Thanks. Most of the schools say FAFSA and not CSS, but I looked online and it said CSS is used for some institutional scholarships and grants… I think I will just fill it out just in case.</p>
<p>Don’t send profile to schools that don’t want it. Check each school, make a spreadsheet with requirements and deadlines and only send what a particular school wants.</p>
<p>Some schools also have student jobs that are not work study. So in this case, no FA forms would need to be completed. You would simply apply for open jobs.</p>