I am a high school senior applying to colleges for Fall 2022. My parents aren’t planning to file the FAFSA form because they say we are not going to get any need based aid, and they plan to pay for my college without taking a loan.
Is this ok, or is filing FAFSA mandatory? What about CSS?
I do hope to get a merit scholarship if I can (from those schools that offer these without looking at financial need) because I have good grades and SATs. Will my eligibility be affected if there’s no FAFSA?
Most merit scholarships do not require the FAFSA to be filed. Very few require it, once you exclude scholarships that are based partly on need. You should be able to determine this from the college’s merit scholarship website though you can always ask them if it isn’t clear.
There are or were a few merit (as opposed to merit+need) scholarships that require FAFSA, so check each college’s scholarship web site to be sure (ask directly if still not sure). The ones that I have seen were full rides where the college may want students to do FAFSA to get any Pell grant money they are eligible for, reducing the college’s scholarship cost by that much.
Some state scholarships and private scholarships also require that a FAFSA be filed. I completed the FAFSA two of my second child’s four years, but I didn’t see a reason to do it for the final two. I think it makes sense to do it for freshman year, just in case, then you can play it by ear after that.
Again - it depends on the school, but usually no. Both my kids received multiple merit scholarships from various schools and none required the FAFSA or CSS. I’ve heard there are exceptions, so it’s best to double check with the specific schools you’re applying to, but in our experience, none of the private or public schools required either for merit only scholarships.
Thanks a lot everyone! I was worried about the impact of not filing the FAFSA because my parents definitely don’t want to do it. But I feel better now, after seeing your responses. I appreciate it!
It’s not mandatory to be accepted or to attend. Some schools require it even for non-need-based merit scholarships - you’d have to check each specific school. If merit awards are also not a concern, ther’s no need to complete it.
CSS is similar, but used only by a relatively small percentage of schools.
I think GA schools require FAFSA if you want Hope/Zell Miller, which is an entirely merit award.
Last year some schools gave Covid funds to all students who completed a FAFSA whether or not they had received any need based financial aid. You can always complete a FAFSA later if it is needed.
We did not complete a FAFSA, and my son was awarded merit at every school where he was admitted, so if your parents don’t want to do it, it shouldn’t be an issue. As others have noted, however, there are a few schools that require FAFSA even for merit, so it is a good idea to check school by school if you are hoping for merit money.
I have read on here that there are a few states where it is mandatory as part of high school graduation? Texas maybe?
We did it because my D22’s #1 school has a merit scholarship that requires it. We won’t get financial aid or qualify for Fed Pell grants or anything.
Some schools also give you $$ if you fill it out. My D22’s #2 school will give you a $500 scholarship for filling out if you go there, so comb through the websites of the schools you are interested in and see what they say.