<p>Jordan, it isn’t so much that you would get “in trouble” for filling out FAFSA without their info. You just won’t get it processed, or get any aid if you don’t qualify to leave them out and you do so anyways. More parents than one would think refuse to fill out the FAFSA and refuse to give out enough info to have it filled out. When that happens, a student wanting any aid has to go ahead and complete it if s/he wants the unsubsidized Stafford loans ($5500 max for freshman year) which is all that you able to get without parental information when it is deemed their info is needed. You also have to certify that your parents refuse to complete the form–it isn’t just a matter of not filling out their part. You are also not going to get financial aid from the school in most situations like that.</p>
<p>Those parents I know who have refused to give the info, feel that the student isn’t going to get anything anyways and they don’t want to go through the process of filling out the form. They may have some privacy fears, or issues with the IRS in that they have not filed or have some quesitonable information. FAFSA is a federal form and the info is used to cross check with tax form, and the penalties can be severe for those who fill it out with false info. Those parents who don’t want to fill it out that I know are probably correct in that their kids are not going to get any financial aid anyways, and if they don’t want the PLUS loans (for the parents), they see no reason to go through the time and trouble. If your family makes over $150K, the likelihood of getting college aid is low. And from FAFSA only schools, just about none, unless you are a top of the stack student in their admissions pool. That is the reality of the situation.</p>