I’m sure this question has been asked and answered but I can’t find it anywhere.
Could a need-aware school ding your application due to the mere fact you applied for aid? Or would it only hurt your application if you actually qualified for aid?
At need aware schools, the level of aid you need is what is considered. If you don’t have need…then that’s not an issue in my opinion.
The downside if you don’t apply for aid is…you might qualify for some and you won’t get it if you don’t apply.
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Yes, the energy to apply.
But if you fear getting dinged- no you won’t.
If they dinged all the people who applied, they couldn’t field a class.
Good luck.
Ps yes there’s been a few related threads. Here’s one.
Thanks for the responses.
Am I correct in saying that the FAFSA form this year will only be available at the end of December, when ED results are already known?
That is correct. The FAFSA won’t be available until probably January, they are saying now.
You need to contact your ED school to see how they are handling determining need based aid. If the school uses the CSS Profile (that is ready for filing on October 1), or has their own form…they will tell you.
Going to be delayed longer if there’s a government shutdown!
Agree with Thumper…if the ED school requires CSS, you still need to make that deadline.
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ED school does require the CSS. And it seems like a beast. Much more onerous that FAFSA. Plus, you have to pay to send it to schools. I think that puts me at negative ROI for financial aid.
If you want institutional financial aid from any school that requires CSS Profile, you need to complete it, whether ED or not. These schools will not use FAFSA to determine institutional FA. FAFSA is used to determine eligibility for Federal financial aid programs.
I don’t understand the ‘negative ROI for FA’ comment. CSS is $25 for the first school, $16 for additional schools. CSS is free for families whose income is less than $100K, or those who qualify for SAT fee waivers.
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It’s negative because we won’t qualify for any aid. At least according to the NPCs we won’t. So then the only benefit to applying for aid is that we can appeal in subsequent years if our financial situation changes.
Got it.
Well, make sure the ED (or any) school requires first years to apply for FA if they want to qualify for it in future years. Most schools don’t have that policy.
You can always file FAFSA for Federal
FA. Most federal aid is need based, but all students qualify for the federal direct student loans.
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Or get a loan or if covid payments happen again.
But if it’s truly not important to you and you’re good without, then don’t.
Then why are you submitting it?
Do you plan to take out federal loans? If not, you can skip the FAFSA as well.
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Oh yeah css isn’t the covid thing. That’s fafsa.
I did css where applicable. As you say, I wasted money in applying. Absolutely.
I saw it as an investment tho. I was gambling. I didn’t win.
It’s really up to you but if you’re prepared and ok knowing you can’t qualify for anything, then don’t do it.
It’s a choice and if you don’t think it’s worth it then it’s ok.
@HelicopterParent1 If you plan to pay in full for college with no need for aid, then you don’t need to complete these forms at all. Ever.
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I was told the only reason to do is to protect against a change in financial circumstances, eg, a job loss. Then you can appeal the denial decision in later years. If you never applied, there is nothing to appeal. At least that’s my understanding. If that’s not the case, then yes, it’s a big waste of time.
If you have a significant change in financial circumstances, I would think you would have sufficient information to document that financial change.
@kelsmom would having a FAFSA on file be necessary for a review in subsequent years?
I feel like you might be confusing terms. If you have a change in circumstances, you would have to file the FAFSA (and possibly CSS for school aid) using your base year information. That information is old (2022 taxes for 2024-25 aid year), so wouldn’t reflect your current situation. You’d then need to appeal the aid determination, requesting that your current information be used. That’s what you’re appealing.
However, it’s possible that some schools may have a policy stating that aid will not be available in future years if the student didn’t apply for aid in their first year. I am not aware of any schools that have this policy, but they may exist. You should check each school’s policies to know for sure.
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Ok…I’m confused. So are you suggesting that families file a base year FAFSA just in case they need an adjustment in future years due to financial reductions?
If someone fell on hard times during their junior year in college…it would be way too late to file a FAFSA for a previous college year?
I think for Intl students this is common but not domestic.
There are a handful of colleges that restrict applying for aid in subsequent years in some way for U.S. citizens. IIRC, Skidmore used to not allow applications the next year…one had to wait two years. Ut these are rare for U.S. citizens…but do check.
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