Finaid/Getting Ready

Paying for College
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<p>Sort of. You will also need to amend the Profile. You will need to call Stanford to find out their procedure. It varies. For DD, last year, we had to make copies of our submitted Profile, and handwrite in ALL the changed information. Then we had to mail them directly to the finaid offices. DD had received estimated awards with her EA letters of acceptance. Her finalized awards were changed (in our case downward....we had not estimated high enough on our estimated FAFSA or Profile) based on the information from our tax returns and the amended forms.</p>

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<p>For college financial aid purposes, you are considered a "dependent student" unless you are over 24, married, have a child you support, are a veteran, are an orphan or ward of the state, or have your first bachelors degree. I'm sorry to say that filing your own return does not exempt you from having to use your parental information when applying for finaid.</p>

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<p>What if they didn't do their taxes with your name as a dependent??? D:</p>

<p>And what if you're doing bachelours and masters degree at the same time?</p>

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<p>It does NOT matter if your parents declare you as a dependent or not. The guidelines for financial aid dependency are DIFFERENT than for taxes. You can file your own taxes, and be self supporting, but in the college finaid world, you are considered a dependent STUDENT unless you meet those criteria for being independent....Period. Also if you are working on a combined bachelors/masters program...it does NOT matter either unless you have already finished your bachelors degree.</p>

<p>Disclaimer...I am NOT an expert on finaid...only a parent who has been dealing with it for four years. If you have a question you can call the college finaid department and ask. But I'm pretty sure this info is accurate.</p>

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<p>Okay, so I guess the only thing I can do is get married. :P</p>

26

<p>thumper,</p>

<p>You can use your parents' last pay stub for Dec. 2006 to estimate data for fafsa.</p>

27

<p>How long does it take to get a pin? I received mine within 48 hours. However, my D hasn't heard yet and we applied on the same day. Please advise.</p>

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<p>Yes, that is noted as a tip. You should use the parent's and student's last pay stub of the year to do your "will file" FAFSA after which will be available after Jan 1. BTW...you probably do not need to sit at your computer at midnight on December 31...but neither should you wait until March or April.</p>

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<p>When should i start filling out FAFSA?</p>

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<p>You cannot file the fafsa until Jan 1, 2007. What a way to ring in the new year!!</p>

31

<p>do i only fill out the pin application for one of my parents? both of my parents have incomes... </p>

<p>also my parents do not have an e-mail address will the government start getting suspicious if i just use the same e-mail address i used for mine? lol</p>

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<p>Only one parent needs a PIN number. I believe we used the parent's email address (it's more "permanent" than the kid one) when we requested all of our PINS.</p>

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<p>"These codes are NOT the same for FAFSA and Profile. "</p>

<p>What do you mean by Profile?</p>

<p>Very helpful thread - thanks!</p>

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<p>"You cannot file the fafsa until Jan 1, 2007."</p>

<p>Can we fill out some of it now using last year's data, to get an estimate, then make the corrections in Jan.? Or, if this is the first time filing a FAFSA, is there nothing we can do online until Jan.?</p>

<p>I understand that there is a worksheet - I've already done that - just wondering if I can start the process before Jan. Could we fill it out for the 2006-07 year (even though we probably won't get anything) then update it in Jan. for the 2007-08 year?</p>

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<p>The FAFSA for the 2007-2008 school year is not available until January 1, so no...you can't do it now. </p>

<p>The CSS Profile is a finaid application form used by many private colleges and universities. It is administered by the College Board. Check the websites for your colleges for finaid and find out what form or forms you need to file. Some schools use only the FAFSA, some use the FAFSA and Profile, and others have their own finaid forms in addition to these two. You need to complete whatever is required for your colleges...by the deadlines. The forms required and the deadlines vary so check each school carefully.</p>

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<p>How large a portion of the applicant pool (College App wise) apply for Finaid? Does applying for Finaid affect admission decision? If yes, I'd rather not apply.(I know a lot of colleges say it doesn't, but does it really not?) Is Fin aid very insufficient for international students? And what is URM?
I know. I have a lot of questions. Thanks.</p>

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<p>Information on how many apply for aid & how many receive it- would depend on the school
I think at need blind schools, it wouldn't affect admission- however say you applied to school that was need blind and agreed to meet 100% of need</p>

<p>Say this school required the PROFILE as well as their own finaid forms- so while your FAFSA EFC may have been $18,000 the finaid office may determine that you have more resources ( as with a home with equity) or less ( if you have large medical expenses)</p>

<p>Theyve decided your aid package will be $15,000. This could be met with any combination of grants- loans and workstudy. A student who is viewed as very desirable, would probably receive more grants than a student who is lower on the must admit totem pole, even if both packages meet 100% of need.</p>

<p>International students generally do not get much aid/it is very competitive
look for another thread on this board for schools that do offer aid
URM under represented minority</p>

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<p>My husband recently passed away. Should I fill out profile and fafsa with only my income or should I include my husbands info as well? Thanks.</p>

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<p>Philosmom,</p>

<p>Sorry for your loss. I think you report his income, however, you do note that he is deceased. There is also a question about projected income, make sure to complete this section.<br>
You may wish to write a letter to the Financial Aid Officer of each college stating your special circumstances, along with the death certificate.<br>
The FAO will should use their professional judgment to calculate your child's financial aid package.</p>

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<p>This is a bit of a random question but it's quite difficult filling out a Profile as I'm international and therefore my parents aren't familiar with the process as well. If I've realized after I've submitted it that I've made a mistake - who do I contact? The school directly? B/c it's only been submitted to one school and if I don't get accepted (which is quite likely) then the application will nullify and I will have to file one for the 07/08 school year (the one I filled out was for a possible spring transfer).</p>