Grad School Finance Question

Parents Forum
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<p>I decided to ask here rather than the grad school forum because I thought I'd get a better response. D is applying to Master's programs in physics in Europe. The universities that she's applying to in the UK and the Netherlands have a FAFSA number, the others don't. Doesn't seem to have anything to do with the quality of the program, just whether or not they've done the paperwork. There is still some money left in her 529 and it would really help if she could use it, but she can only use it at an institution that has a FAFSA number. Does anyone have any experience with this? Are institutions willing to do the paperwork if they want the student, or is it too complex (or maybe too time-consuming) to make it worth their trouble unless they're trying to attract other American students? She hasn't even finished all her applications, much less gotten in anywhere, but I'm just thinking ahead.</p>

<p>I know someone's going to ask why Europe. In a nutshell because in the US you have to apply to a PhD program for physics and she's not ready to commit to that yet. In Europe people get the Master degree first and then decide whether or not to continue with the PhD. Also she didn't do an overseas study program in college, so this is her chance.</p>

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<p>I have never heard of this being a condition on 529 plan usage before and am just curious where you read/heard that. I don’t believe it’s an IRS requirement, is it?</p>

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<p>My favorite publication, IRS 970 (or maybe it’s 940, something like that). You can “generally” only use a 529 at an “eligible institution”, which is a shorthand for any institution with a FAFSA number. Depending on what happens with the admissions process, I’ll call FAFSA and see if I can find out what “generally” means.</p>