I’m pretty sure we loaded my D’s in alphabetically - because that’s the way I sent the spreadsheet to my husband, who did the FAFSAing. (Which I think would be obvious just glancing at it - alpha order?)
@kategrizz and others, that’s why there is a big part of me that thinks this is just an urban legend.
We were recently sent a notice from D’s high school counselor that certain competitive academic schools (Vanderbilt was the example) will definitely look at the FAFSA priority order and this CAN influence financial aid and acceptance. So it seems like it does happen but as mentioned earlier, it probably doesn’t have the relevance for candidates who are selected based on artistic criteria as opposed to academic.
I’ve gone through 5 rounds of applications and my kids have gotten into top schools, and never once have I even thought of FAFSA order and it doesn’t seem to have impacted my kids’ admissions at all. Of course I have no way of knowing, but if it were really true that a school would actually look at the order in FAFSA (which can be alphabetical, clumped by state, done by a parent without talking to the kid, etc) to determine how much aid to give or whether to make an offer, then I feel that school is not a good place to be. But I would very much think this is an urban legend.
Honestly, there is so much to worry about in a large heap of stress, I don’t see any need to add this to our plates!
New Question: Do we HAVE to fill out FAFSA?? I know that we will NOT qualify for any need-based aid. We are receiving MERIT based scholarship offers from every school acceptance thus fa, so I’m wondering is FAFSA a requirement?
No, if you know you don’t qualify for Federal or need-based university aid, there’s no reason to fill out the FAFSA.
Now, I’m no expert,but I believe if you have to take out any loans to help pay for college, the only way to be eligible for government loans with a lower interest rate, the PLUS parent loan and the Stafford subsidized loan is to fill out the FAFSA.
Stafford loans are need-based, so I think OP is saying he/she won’t qualify. PLUS loans go all the way up, though if you have the assets/income to disqualify yourself from Federal aid, you probably have better ways of financing (like home equity) if you need to.
Thanks for your responses! @jkellynh17, you are right–we wouldn’t take out a government loan. Yay for not filling out any more forms!
Actually, I believe the Stafford loan in the student’s name is available regardless of need. Need determines whether or not the loan is granted as subsidized (meaning the government pays the accruing interest until graduation) or not. But to get the loan in the student’s name instead of the parent’s name, you have to do the FAFSA. A loan in the student’s name is a good way for them to start establishing their own credit plus… if you intend them to have them share in the expenses of their education, it formalizes the “welcome to adulthood” as the loan is in their name and theirs to service.
For some college scholarships you must fill out the Fafsa, even if you do not qualify for need based money. My daughter gets a scholarship from her school but must fill out the Fafsa to receive it. Many schools have this stipulation, so be aware.
I agree with @alibabba808 - I would fill it out. It can be necessary for some scholarships. It’s very easy to do. You can use last years tax info. But better safe than sorry.
Yes, the colleges we’ve been to have said to fill it out regardless of whether or not you think you’ll qualify for aid. They’ve claimed that not only is it often needed for scholarship reasons, but that if your financial situation changes at any point in your child’s college career, they want/need to see the FASFA’s from previous years.
With all that we’ve put into this college application effort, what is another 20-30 minutes spent on one simple form, right?