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<p>So if you apply freshman and you were denied (because your EFC is too high), would you be more eligible in year 2 to 4 than someone who didn´t apply the first year? Why?</p>
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Note that filing the FAFSA does not mean you’re applying for FA.</p>
<p>As many have said, always file the FAFSA, sometimes required for merit aid as well.</p>
<p>But only for schools that offer merit aid.</p>
<p>^ Why? Does anyone think there is any conceivable harm in adding a need-aware school code when filing the FAFSA? Why would a need-aware school possibly care that you filed the FAFSA if you’re not asking for FA? At the time of filing the FAFSA, perhaps you haven’t yet made the decision to ask for FA or not at a given school.</p>
<p>…or your student is going to take an unsub Stafford to help cover his share of the costs his family expects him to bear in return for them paying pretty much full freight…</p>
<p>We talked to a couple of FA folks last year and were told not to sweat the need-aware part. So we didn’t.</p>
<p>My strategy - I did not have S apply for fin aid at his ED school. He will at the other schools to which he is applying. My reasoning - he really wants to go to the ED school, they consider all applications for merit, the criteria for different levels of merit are listed on the website, and he falls within a good scholarship range, we would not qualify for much (if any) aid beyond the scholarship, especially after his freshman year when older D will have graduated college. We can afford to pay the rest beyond the scholarship amount he will get if accepted. If not applying for aid gives him a slight advantage in admissions, that could be the difference for him.</p>
<p>His second choice school is rolling admissions, and I don’t think they even asked on the application if he was applying for FA, so I don’t think it will matter there.</p>
<p>Schools want enough students who could well afford the tuition, and they want to spend their limited scholarship money to attract students who are desirable to them. If my kid really wants to go to a particular school, and it is affordable to me, I wouldn’t apply for FA.</p>
<p>As a computer professional, it feels to me (which might be completely incorrect) that people with FASFA at some schools are given higher priority than others in respect to MERIT scholarships (which is not that hard to accomplish in computer program).</p>
<p>In regard to applying for FA, MERIT and need based scholarships are all administered by the same office - FA office. In any case of either automatic Merit scholarships or the ones that you have to apply, whole process is under FA office. </p>
<p>On a note of years beyond freshman year, D’s school has Returning students scholarships with very strict deadline that D. has missed one year. Most kids do not apply thinking that they have no chance. Better for the ones that do, more left for them. Make sure to check it out and DO NOT MISS deadline. At D’s school deadline is March 15 and student has to maintain college GPA=3.8+ to have a chance. D’s rewards were huge. In addition, every college that I am aware of has departmental scholarships for upperclassmen (juniors and more for seniors). These also reguire applications and are very large. That is where good writing skills are very handy as some require essays.</p>
<p>Tell your kids to work hard, it is very worthwhile, research your schools on-line, do not rely on kids, they are not as diligent and they are overhelmed with school work. Encourage them to apply to anything that you find and, please, DO NOT MISS DEADLINES. Best wishes to everybody.</p>
<p>I believe that is an incorrect generalization - merit at many schools is not from the FA office, it is separate. Both my kids so far have applied to schools where merit is awarded with the acceptance - long before FAFSA is submitted. The amount of merit given is certainly taken into consideration when need-based aid is awarded, and with my D, the FA notice clearly said that we had no remaining “need” because any amount of aid we would have gotten was less than the amount of the scholarship.</p>
<p>While some schools do require FAFSA for merit, not all do, and that is why it is good to research the specific school in question.</p>
<p>“Both my kids so far have applied to schools where merit is awarded with the acceptance - long before FAFSA is submitted.”</p>
<p>-I am not sure I understand that. FASFA is submitted by Feb. 15, acceptances are received in spring. If kid is accepted earlier, financial packages (including Merit awards) are still coming in spring (after FASFA). I do not know anything about “need” based. I certainly agree that “it is good to research the specific school in question.” Also, read very carefully all letters (snail mail) received from school. FASFA in connection to Merit awards was mentioned in snail mail recieved from D’s school before her freshman year.</p>
<p>Would agree with mamabear here.</p>
<p>Two years ago, my S was accepted to several schools in the Fall (the schools either had rolling admissions or early action) and at the time of acceptance he received merit awards.</p>
<p>Applications were submitted in September and October, acceptances (with merit awards) were received in October to December.</p>
<p>^They must not use FASFA then. My D. had interivews in Feb. (all her programs reguire interviews). We have submitted FASFA in Feb. She started recieving packages from various schools in April/May. After she indicated her chosen school, she recieved second financial package with increased Meirt scholarships from this school. </p>
<p>It definitely varies from school to school.</p>
<p>100% Fafsa family. 2002-2006.
No merit aid school, need aware. School used ‘enrollment management’ to attract students and to manage financial resources.</p>
<p>FAFSA and FA application must be applied for every year.</p>
<p>DS got a competitive school award grant, 16% of tuition.
Unsubsidized Stafford started at ~5% (2002) and ended at ~2% (2006).
PLUS at slightly higher rates.</p>
<p>One year did not file FAFSA in a timely manner and then another year did not file FA request form. Consequences meant, No grant. No Stafford and PLUS. We quickly filed.</p>
<p>Also agree with mamabear. The FA office handling need-based aid and the scholarship offices were separate at both my s’s schools. And when younger s asked that the FA offer from a school he was admitted to reconsider in light of the offer from the school he ultimately chose to attend, the communication was only with the admissions office, not with the FA office.</p>
<p>When D applied to schools as a freshman, I was suspicious that schools my use our “high” income against us when awarding merit aid.</p>
<p>I researched each school carefully and was told by financial aid offices that the FAFSA was not necessary at any of the schools D was appying to and that the CSS profile was needed by Brandeis to be considered for merit aid. Most schools were on her list because they offered the possibility of merit aid.</p>
<p>So reluctantly we submitted the CCS to Brandeis…and D was rewarded $15K in merit aid. (We were very happy with this reward and it eased my feeling that schools would not give merit aid after they saw our EFC.)</p>
<p>D had her heart set on NYU, and we awaited their acceptance letter. Because D was applying to their music program and we had very positive feedback, we were hoping for merit aid. The package came and there was nada. It seems that the financial aid office had changed some policies without telling the music dept and D was ineligible for the academic merit aid they ahd awarded because need now had to be shown and a FAFSA needed to be filed. In previous years this was a true merit scholarship. The Fin aid office offered us some sympathy merit aid after my panicked phone call, but only if we immediately filed a FAFSA so D would be in the system. The music dept head fought to get her talent money which remained true merit aid (no need.) Since then, we have filed our FAFSA each year and I believe NYU requires if for all students getting any award.</p>
<p>I really see no reason to not file the FAFSA and as we learned, policies can change mid-stream. D 2 starts the application process next year and we will continue to file the FAFSA regardless of where she applies.</p>
<p>My sons had the same experience as mamabear - Early Action applications were submitted, acceptance letters with merit aid awards arrived in the mail in December or early January, before FAFSA was filed. These were all FAFSA schools with one Profile exception. The Profile school needed the custodial parent’s Profile in October in order to be considered for merit aid. In the spring, one of DS2’s colleges came up with a small, unexpected but highly-appreciated need-based grant on top of merit. Had I not filed FAFSA just in case, that grant wouldn’t have happened.</p>
<p>Yes, the schools that my S got merit awards from in the October to December time frame were all FAFSA schools. </p>
<p>They gave the merit awards at the time of acceptance, with need based financial aid coming later.</p>