<p>Our son is filling out the FAFSA as the first step towards applying for an unsubsidized Stafford loan (we don't qualify for any financial aid). I'd really prefer not to share our income data with our 18 year old, but he's filling out the FAFSA, and he needs the information. Even if I filled it out, he'd be able to access it. </p>
<p>Is there any way around this? I understand the need to provide information like this for loans, etc. But it's not the sort of information I want to share with my son, understanding that if we were coming at this from the other side, and needed to establish a need for subsidized loans, aid, etc., we would likewise have to disclose this information.</p>
<p>I guess what I'm ultimately asking is whether there's a way to apply for an unsubsidized Stafford w/o providing income info. Thanks.</p>
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<p>If a family is estranged from their family, I believe they can file the FAFSA for Stafford loan consideration. BUT clearly this is not the case with your family. You will need to provide this information on the FAFSA…and NO there is no way around it.</p>
<p>There have been numerous discussions re: the issue of students knowing parent income/assets when completing the FAFSA. It is what it is. It is your decision whether to provide this information…or not. I will say…I felt that it was not a big deal for my kids to know our income and assets. What WAS a big deal for them to know was how much of it we were willing to allocate for college costs. We used this as a lesson in money matters. In the end, I think our kids were better for it, but that is my opinion only.</p>
<p>I’ve always completed the FAFSA, not my kids since I have all of the info on hand. I guess I could have gotten them to do it, and probably should have as they need experience in filling out this stuff, but I just didn’t. You can get your info together and once your son has completed the student section, you can get on the computer and fill out your stuff.</p>
<p>That said, your son will still have access to any data you entered if he decides to login to his FAFSA account and check. I’d see it as a great excuse to teach your son more about budgeting and the value of a dollar. I’ve seen all different types of family dynamics from ones where the student has no knowledge of the family’s finances to ones where the student does the parents’ tax returns.</p>
<p>cpt is correct…but if your child has their PIN number, they will have access to their FAFSA which contains all the information. They do not need YOUR Pin to gain access to their completed FAFSA form.</p>