<p>A friend's son is a NMSF. If he's admitted by USC, he'll get at least half tuition. If not, he'll go to state U. The family EFC is around 40K. Is there a need to apply for Fin Aid?</p>
<p>When we were in the college application process we found out some schools want you to do the FAFSA whether or not you thought you qualified for aid and actually required it before handing out merit scholarships. Some places probably didn’t care.</p>
<p>I think in this case it is a matter of checking with each institution to see what they require; better to double check now than to realize later that it should have been done.</p>
<p>As far as the half tuition at USC, maybe there are some other scholarships that would help make up the difference, so always worth checking in case there is a way to be eligible for more.</p>
<p>Also, what if he for some weird reason doesn’t make it to NMF and stays a NMSF? Might be too early to count on that until February when it is a sure bet. With all these unknowns, I wouldn’t rule out financial aid just to show he did his part in investigating what he is eligible for.</p>
<p>Good points! Thanks Spiral1996!</p>
<p>I second what spiral says. My S was NMSF, but we submitted the FA app anyway just in case he didn’t make finalist. But with an EFC of 40K I can almost guarantee the award of need based aid would be very limited - probably loans. If this is the only FA app the family would have to do, it might not be worth the hassle if they’re pretty confident the kid will make finalist.</p>
<p>Your friend’s son has to become a NMF and designate USC as his FIRST CHOICE on the National Merit form, plus be accepted to USC to qualify for the half tuition Presidential scholarship (unless these rules change–this was the case when my son applied). I suggest your friend’s son look for other scholarships as well. My experience with financial aid at USC is that they at least offer a $2,500. per year loan (don’t know if that is still the case). I don’t remember what kind of loan it was.</p>