Does fafsa look at the information you put on your college admissions application. I think something will not match up with my household information and am terrified. PLEASE HELP!!! Ive been looking it up all morning and no results.
FAFSA is a form, so it can’t look at anything. Generally speaking, the people that process and use FAFSA for its intended purpose do not have access to your college admissions application. That being said, if there is a material discrepancy between what you have reported on an admissions application and what you have reported on FAFSA, you definitely want to correct that.
On my college application I put the wrong amount of people in my household. I emailed one of the colleges to ask what this will affect and am waiting to hear back. I don’t want to have any complications with FAFSA.
usually your financial aid is determined by what you put on the financial aid forms…which MUST be consistent with what is on your tax forms. If there is a difference, you will be asked to explain that.
In most cases the financial aid office works very independently from the admissions office.
On your FAFSA, did you indicate more or less family members?
The FAFSA is correct, right?
This should not be an issue, assuming you didn’t do something like write an essay about a huge family that you don’t actually have … and the issue there would be ethical. I doubt what is on your admissions application will ever be something the financial aid folks even know about.
Just make sure your FAFSA is correct. (The number in your household does not have to match the tax return, though. There can be good reasons why they don’t match.)
I completed my fafsa correctly revising multiple times with my parent’s help. I however I just somehow misinterpreted the household question on the college app. I listed four family members on the FAFSA (which is how many live with me). On my college application I put five and listed my sisters even though they no longer live with me. My household consists of my mom, my two cousins and I.
Thank you, my college essay is having to do with one of my parents. I was just scared that they would somehow look at it and I would have complications receiving aid. Even though I didn’t lie on anything.
Hello, Thank you to those who replied! Admissions replied saying it should be fine and not affect my admissions either!
@kelsmom but if this info is not the same, wouldn’t it possibly trigger verification?
I know the tax return and filing status and the like have nothing to do with the financial aid status. But if there are other things that don’t align between the tax return and aid applications, it can be problematic (marital status, HOH filing status used incorrectly, etc)
@swiftie4ever glad your question got answered by the college and all is well.
Household size on the FAFSA can include all kinds of people who aren’t on the tax return. One sibling may be claimed by the ex, or there might be a step sibling who is claimed by someone else. Also the taxes are 2 years old and a child may have been in the house at 21 but gone by two years later.
If the filing status is different from the current conditions, like there has been a divorce or death, it might be better not to use the DRT and fill in the info by hand (which will trigger a verification, which will happen anyway if the info doesn’t match).
It is relatively common for HH size not to match the 1040. Typically, that in itself will not trigger verification. Sometimes it might generate a comment from the processor, but comments do not require verification.