<p>Perhaps if your parents are unwilling to give you the information for the FAFSA and have money in the bank, they would be willing to lend you the amount that you would get in Stafford loans at the same or lower interest?</p>
<p>MisterK you are incorrect. There are many schools that require the FAFSA to be filed to be considered for pure merit scholarships. Many are state flagships. There was a list posted last year but I don’t have the time to find it. I know the University of Maine was on it.</p>
<p>Join the military, after 6 years of service(or any nimber of years the branch requires), you can go to ANY State School and complete your college education free. The government will also pay you a portion of your salary when you were in service while you are in the school. In California, the UC’s COA for OOS is about $50K/year or 200K for four years.</p>
<p>My parents want to pay for my college education, but I wont let them. I want to start from scratch, just like my dad did…im going to end up getting FAFSA aid, few scholarships, and ill pay the rest through loans.</p>
<p>Sent from my SGH-T959V using CC App</p>
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<p>Bioboy, it’s wonderful that you want to fund this yourself. The reality is that YOU will need your parents as cosigners for loans above the Stafford loan amounts (which is what you will get by completing the FAFSA). FAFSA doesn’t give you aid…the schools do. The reality is that your parents might prefer to pay upfront for your college costs rather than take out loans (if they cosign a loan, it’s like taking out a loan for them).</p>
<p>Bioboy, you do realize that the FAFSA does not “give” you any money. All it does is qualify you for federal aid. If you are not Pell eligible, then you will receive $5500 in loans. If that is enough to take you to college then have at it.</p>
<p>If you plan on going to Brown unless your parents have a really low (close to 0 EFC), where you will get a package with full need based FA, then you are not going to college with out money from your parents.</p>
<p>you wrote:</p>
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<p>Note to bioboy: unless you are going to CC or you can get a full ride merit scholarship , then you will need your parent’s money to make college happen.</p>
<p>Bioboy, FAFSA is a form to be filled out.</p>
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Iron Maiden, you don’t know what you’re talking about. This has been discussed repeatedly, and we’ve found very few schools that require FA forms for true merit aid. We’ve found many, many, many people here who don’t know the difference. Perhaps you’re one of them.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden - By the way, if you look at the University of Maine’s website, you’ll find that they have two different sections - “Scholarships,” and “Merit Scholarships.” Guess which one requires financial disclosure? It’s the one that lists “financial need” as a criterion (“Scholarshiips”). The pure merit scholarships are under "Merit Scholarships.</p>
<p>Iron Maiden, you’re not the first person to be completely confused and befuddled by all of this.</p>
<p>I don’t know the particulars, but I recall reading legitimate information that you can claim to be an independent person. This would exclude your parents from having to report anything, and make your own savings and earnings the only money on your FAFSA. That would likely qualify you for aid and non-FAFSA money. A general factor in all this may be that your parents provide you with nothing as of the time you turn in your FAFSA. This means you may not even be able to live at your house – even if you pay rent – starting now.</p>
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<p>Sorry, Beolein, but this is not correct. To be independent for financial aid you must meet certain conditions, such as:
-be over 24 years of age
-be married
-be the sole supporter of a dependent
-be active military or a veteran
-be a ward of the court or have a legal guardian appointed</p>
<p>There may be a few other qualifying criteria, but in any case you cannot just declare yourself independent. If it were that easy everyone would do it.</p>
<p>MisterK</p>
<p>I direct you to paragraph 2 of the answer on this page: [FAFSA</a> Required for Merit Aid Hopeful? - Ask The Dean](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/fafsa-required-for-merit-aid-hopeful.htm]FAFSA”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/dean/archives/fafsa-required-for-merit-aid-hopeful.htm)</p>
<p>I assure you I am not confused or befuddled. And while you may have read a web page on UMaine and their scholarships I have experience with the school. You have to submit a FAFSA for all scholarships including pure merit. No FAFSA no consideration. Call the FA office Monday. </p>
<p>Have a nice day.</p>
<p>FAFSA and/or CSS profiles are required by some schools for merit aid.
I filled out the CSS profile which was required for a few schools for aid.
Fordham sent a scholarship award letter, but said that it was conditional on filling out FAFSA forms.
Northeastern requires CSS profile.
Fordham also wanted FAFSA.</p>
<p>From studentaid.ed.gov: A financial aid administrator can make a determination of independence with documentation by reason of unusual circumstances.</p>
<p>Unusual circumstances aren’t that your parents just won’t pay, if that was the case, all parents would refuse to pay.</p>
<p>Those circumstances are generally extreme ones, abuse, neglect, abandonment, etc.</p>
<p>Regarding merit-my D was awarded a merit scholarship at Fordham and we never filled out a FAFSA or other aid application. Perhaps some particular awards have a need component?<br>
Per Norteastern’s site: “students are not required to complete the financial aid application To be considered for a merit based scholarship”</p>
<p>I do agree that each site should be read carefully, and many families may be surprised that there is some need based $$ offered, but in our experience, two D have rec’d varying amounts from schools without Ane FA applications being submitted.</p>
<p>It’s extremely, extremely rare for a Financial Aid administrator to override the dependency status for undergrad students under 24.</p>