<p>Hi everyone,</p>
<p>Sorry if this question's already been answered... but please help me out here:</p>
<p>I (and my parents) thought that I wouldn't be applying for financial aid so I checked "No" to the question on the common app for every school.</p>
<p>But now my parents are scared for their jobs, and want me to be eligible for financial aid if the need arises over the next four years while I'm in college. They worry that they wont have enough money to help fund it if they lose their jobs.</p>
<p>My questions are...
1) can I still file a FAFSA? (what i mean, is, is there still time until deadlines?)
2) if so, will the FAFSA allow me to be eligible for financial aid from the government in the next four years?<br>
3) do I need to file a CSS profile? Or is it too late for this / impossible since I checked the box on the common app that I won't apply for need-based aid?</p>
<p>Any help is deeply appreciated. Thanks in advance.</p>
<p>From what I’ve experienced with FAFSA, some schools have deadlines, (I think Feb 15th is for some) and others are first-come, first-serve. Even if you checked no on the common app, I’m pretty sure you can still fill out the gov’t FAFSA. (checking no might just mean you won’t get anything from your school) </p>
<p>You can go to the FAFSA website, fill out their questions, and give it a try. You have to enter the school’s code, and then they’ll be sent your information and will process it for their own scholarships and grants. </p>
<p>And if you don’t qualify now but do later, you can fill it out every year and they’ll adjust all your numbers. I think they even adjust and offer aid to people whose parents go from low income to a higher one. Financial aspects are never definitive, and schools and the government know that. If anything happens, there will (hopefully with the advancing economy and government) always be some kind of help. </p>
<p>Good luck with everything!</p>
<p>Yes you can still file the FAFSA. So get that done NOW. At the very least, you will qualify to take out student loans. If your parents’ situations change, you will be able to discuss the situation with the financial aid offices and find out if there are any other federal monies that you can be considered for.</p>
<p>As for whether or not your colleges/universities will consider you for their own institutional aid, that is a different question. Send a quick email to each place on your list, and ask to be considered for aid if it still is possible. Then follow up with a phone call later next week and ask if there are any specific steps (other than filing the FAFSA) that you need to take.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best!</p>