My Parents Say NO. Will This Hurt My App?

Parents Forum
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<p>My parents refuse to apply for financial aid – will this hurt me?</p>

<p>Let me give you some background. Neither of my parents attended college, I’m doing the whole application process on my own. I’ve been lurking this site for a few months and I’ve learned a lot, especially from the parents’ posts and I think I could use some adult advice right now.</p>

<p>My parents have been saving for my college education since they came to the US (we are Hispanic but I was born here). As of now they have enough in savings to cover about 2 ½ yrs of college for me. They refuse to allow me to apply for financial aid and insist we will cover the rest with loans if necessary. My parents’ reasoning, whether right or wrong, is tied into very personal beliefs and values that I don’t think I would ever be able to explain to anyone here.</p>

<p>I really do respect and understand how and why they feel the way they do, and I’m ready to take the responsibility for any loans I will need. But what I’m afraid about right now is how colleges might interpret the decision NOT to apply for financial aid. We are not poor, and far from being rich, just hard working middle class. Can they view my application in a negative light because of this? Any suggestion on how to handle this subject which is very sensitive to my parents? Or should I just let it go?</p>

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<p>Anybody can apply for financial aid. You are (will, soon I imagine) an adult. No longer will parents have the privilege of making decisions for you.</p>

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<p>I'm afraid you're wrong when you say "anybody can apply for financial aid". My 18th BD is actually a month away but that doesn't make a difference. I don't qualify as an independent student so I can't apply for financial aid on my own. I I think you missed the point, but thanks any way.</p>

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<p>Saying NO to financial aid is not going to translate into "I'm super rich and don't need your help."</p>

<p>Plenty of people just don't want or know how to go through the process, while others...yes others...have "values." XD</p>

<p>If this is the the only upsetting thing you find on your application, be glad.</p>

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<p>Rosy, the specific question you asked is not a hard one to answer. I can't think of any school , other than Berea, where NOT applying for FA would be a problem or even be seen as a negative. To the contrary, all schools from Top to Not As Top really like full-freight families.</p>

<p>But that is the good news.</p>

<p>The bad news is there will likely be no loans for you. At least not the loans that make the most sense and are easiest for most kids to get. All Fed loans are tied to filing the Fafsa info. No file -No Stafford loans whether subsidized or unsubsidized. </p>

<p>IMO most private loans are out, too as you most probably have zippo credit on your own, and it is doubtful your parents will want to co-sign with the credit checks, income verification, and other information required of them. That would apply to the documentation required for Parent Loans, also. If you parents usually don't borrow money for auto and other purchases, they may not have the credit-worthiness to borrow money anyway. </p>

<p>The way you posed your OP makes me think your parents are concerned about their privacy. As immigrants, I can understand that concern. </p>

<p>I'm not going to pry into your situation by asking a bunch more questions, but if your parents are both 1.) unwilling to file for FA, and 2.) unwilling to submit to credit and employment checks- whether by the government or private lenders then I don't think loans are an option. (There are some well-endowed colleges that have their won special loan funds available. Check websites/call to see if perchance your situation would be one covered by such a program. Be forthright and direct. Some may have some ideas. )</p>

<p>More bad news. Many outside scholarship require some proven financial need. I don't see how you'll meet that without parent cooperation but some may well be sympathetic to your situation.</p>

<p>While there are schools that require a financial aid filing for consideration for merit scholarships, most of the merit aid granting institutions do not. </p>

<p>Given the parameters as you've outlined them, I would concentrate on schools where my stats put me in the merit aid category. If that "2 1/2" years means they have as much as $125K saved , you will have options with OOS flagships with "good student", or "any scholarship of any amount" OOS tuition waivers that should make 4 years quite doable. South Carolina, Arkansas, and Oklahoma come to mind and I'm sure there are others. $125K gets you through Barksdale Honors College at Ole Miss , even OOS without a scholarship. </p>

<p>OTOH, I couldn't recommend you go to a high cost private with no FA filing, no parental cooperation, and no/limited ability to borrow, with only 2 1/2 years of COA in the bank. </p>

<p>There are options to consider for a good student in your situation. Some of the sane world parents will be getting up here in a few hours and they'll have other thoughts. P.M. me if you'd like. </p>

<p>Good luck.</p>

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<p>their "own" loan funds. Sheesh. A couple more years and I'll be down to a series of grunts and clicks for language skills. "All Ball. All Ball". (Extra points for getting the reference, fellow parents.;)) </p>

<p>BTW, OP are you a regular CC poster, who because of privacy concerns signed in with a new screenname for this topic only? If so, pretty smart cookie. ;)</p>

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<p>Thanks, Koko (aka Curmudgeon), for such a thoughtful response.</p>

<p>Rosy, there are quite a few schools where you can get merit aid. See the CC thread on schools that are known for this. If you apply early action, you can find out about awards early in the admissions process. But I think establishing a personal connection to people in Financial Aid and explaining your situation as Curmudgeon suggests is critical.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>

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<p>Clearly Curmudgeon is the $$ for college expert. Pick his brain, Rosy. </p>

<p>I have a question on the reluctance of your parents to file the form -- Besides the privacy concerns, do they feel filing a FASA will turn them into charity cases, begging for money? That's a pretty common component of the immigrant value system (and a noble one, actually.) As in so many cultures education is only available to upper classes, it's a very big leap to accept how in America education funding is handled. If that's the case, you can work the "merit scholarships often require FASA" "angle.</p>

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<p>Rosy, you may want to apply to a few colleges where you might get merit aid. This would not require you to apply for finaid.</p>

<p>For other colleges, call up their finaid office yourself and explain your family situation. They may have some helpful suggestions to get you into the finaid loop.</p>

<p>Sidebar to all posters: This forum is great for college advice and info. But I am often surprised at how reluctant people are in calling the colleges for specific info that only they can definitively provide. Just call them. That is why colleges hire them!</p>

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<p>It won't hurt your app, it will just hurt you paying.</p>

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<p>Rosy, it just hit me that you may be applying this cycle. If so, some merit windows are closing right now (like today) and more will close soon (like in the next week or so). Double check the schools you are interested in. Don't miss that window.</p>

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<p>Omigod! Curmudgeon is right! Today is Dec 1. Rosy, if you are applying for next year, you need to sit down with your preliminary list of schools today and find out what their application (including early action) & financial aid deadlines are. As I'm sure you're aware, you can do most applications online. Also, if you have questions about merit aid, call the Financial Aid offices TODAY. Some administrative offices remain open this time of year. Finally, stickershock is right...Some merit scholarship programs may require submission of a FAFSA. But perhaps your parents would feel differently if they hear that you've EARNED a merit scholarship somewhere.</p>

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<p>Rosy,
Schools ask for the FAFSA for MERIT scholarships because the want to fund these scholarships from the appropriate pot of money. If you qualify for a specific merit award, but also qualify for need aid, they will use the need pot of money for your scholarship. It also helps them with following and reporting federal guidelines.
Some colleges often prefer to use the merit pot of money to attract/lure good students, who are able to pay, with a 'discount' tuition rate.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
Schools ask for the FAFSA for MERIT scholarships because the want to fund these scholarships from the appropriate pot of money.

[/quote]
mominva is right about why they ask for the FAFSA. But just to be clear. NOT ALL schools offering merit scholarships ask for the FAFSA. So, if the refusal to file FAFSA holds, you will need to seek out the schools which do NOT ask for this. If I recall correctly (hazy on this), some ask for FAFSA after they have given you the award - ie, winning the award doesn't require FAFSA but it may come up afterward. So, check on all of this.</p>

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<p>It won't hurt your apps, but may hurt your chances of getting merit aid or starting your postgraduate life without a staggering amount of debt.</p>

<p>When you say your parents can pay for 2 1/2 years of college, exactly how much money do you mean that they can contribute? Tuition at some private colleges is about $35 k a year. At some public 4-year colleges, in-state tuition can be as low as $8 k a year.</p>

<p>You need to get exactly how much money your parents are willing to pay for your college.</p>

<p>To avoid taking out staggering loans, it may be best to spend 2 years at an in state community college and then transfer to an instate public university. Depending on where you live, some public universities have nice merit aid, too, for transfers from instate community colleges.</p>

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<p>We did not apply for FA. S goes to a state u. with merit scholarships. His did not require FAFSA. S was offered instate tution (tied to scholarship) at Univ. of S.C. Also Univ. of Alabama offered instate tuiton based on SAT score. This was 3 years ago, may have changed since then.</p>

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<p>You could point out to your parents that some wealthy colleges are actively looking for lower income students (i.e. those who families will qualify for financial aid). Therefore submitting a legitimate application can help with admissions at such places. Once you are admitted and your parents are holding a financial aid offer in hand, no one will force them to accept it. However, you could end up with a far better financial deal through lower interest rates on loans, etc. even if they refuse to take the grants. Note: if they are going outside the college for a loan they will still have to submit an application, show their financial situation to a lender, and have a credit check. So not applying for financial aid from the college does not eliminate these steps if they are counting on loans from somewhere else.</p>

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<p>curm:</p>

<p>if ain't bleedin', it ain't no stinkin' foul! :D</p>

<p>back to regular programming!</p>

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<p>blue, LOL. That's good . And quite amazingly that didn't enter my mind. And you are correct, I have yelled "All Ball" at the top of my lungs many times but in this instance, as Cadbury answered, I was going for Koko the Mountain Gorilla and the kitten she named "All Ball".</p>

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<p>Rosy 2200
I can't imagine that not applying for financial aid will hurt your applications. I think you should just go with your parents on this one. You didn't say that they would not pay for all 4 years, just that they would have to take out loans for the last year and a half. That is their decision. When I was in law school, I applied for a student loan without telling my parents. Although we were not wealthy by any means, my father prided himself on paying for all of children's' education without them taking out loans. That ended up to be 20 years of undergrad, 6 years of law school and 4 years of medical school. Luckily for him it was all at the state university (my sister got into Northwestern UG the same year I got in to their law school. My dad gulped and said if that's what we chose he would find a way to pay. Luckily we both chose the state U). Anyway, I felt that all my friends with student loans had a lot more money that I did. My dad paid the tuition, fees and living expenses but there certainly wasn't much for extras. So, it being a small town, a friend of my Dad's at the bank told him about my applying for the loan. I will never forget how hurt he was. I did not go ahead with the loan. My siblings and I didn't have a lot of extras but we all graduated, 3 from professional schools, with not debt. Sorry this is so long, but your post brought back the memory.</p>