<p>Hi! My family has recently told me our financial situation for college, and it looks good- My parents should be able to fund or almost completely fund any college I've applied to. However, they don't like putting their information out there, and are hesitant about filling out the FAFSA and CSS profile. So I have a few questions:</p>
<ul>
<li>can I still receive merit based aid without these forms?
-how long does each form take to fill out?
-would you recommend filling it out regardless for a reason that we can't foresee? (Our EFC will NOT help us- only child, income above 200k, savings above 200k, etc)
Thanks!</li>
</ul>
<p>Whether they need to fill out FAFSA to receive any merit based monies is a question that needs to be asked of each of the colleges where you have an application. Some college do use “merit/grant” money as part of their financial aid. Others give merit based aid strictly based on merit without regard to need.</p>
<p>The FAFSA only takes me about 15 minutes - once the taxes are complete.</p>
<p>It never hurts to fill out FAFSA and it makes you eligible for loans if your family should happen to need or want to fund college in that manner. It pulls the information off your family tax forms so it’s not “secret” with the exception of having to divulge asset valuations which is not required on taxes - taxes only look at dividends and gains or losses on investment. It is not required if there is no intent to finance the college education.</p>
<p>You might want to ask whether or not you would be considered for aid in a future year if your family would suffer a huge financial reversal. Some places will not consider students for aid in the future if they don’t apply for their freshman year.</p>