“Assets for fafsa are checking and savings balances, stocks and funds and other real estate pretty much. Does that add up to a million or more?”
Yes (sorry I don’t know how to quote)
“If you have “millions” (as in two million dollars or more) in regular savings…the interest on those accounts would be able to pay for your college costs.”
I know, which is why I was confused as to why, when we tell people our financial information, they still tell us to file for FAFSA anyway. They being friends & family who have gone through the college process, college admissions staff, and teachers.
I’m not trying to get financial aid, I know we don’t need it. We were not going to file until we were constantly being told to file no matter what. So I want to know why.
If you’re:
*not interested in the direct loans, or
*not applying to a school which requires FAFSA for merit scholarships, or
*not applying to an exceptionally generous school,
there’s no point in filing for FAFSA.
It depends on the school, the cost of the school, and your parents assets. It’s easy to have a million dollars in assets, a 6 figure income, and still qualify for institutional aid at the more expensive colleges. If your parents don’t want to file and are comfortable paying for what you need then you don’t need to do it unless your college requires it.
Thank you to the two comments above, I have emailed all of the colleges I was accepted to to see if filing FAFSA is required. If its not, then I don’t think we’ll file. I applied to/was accepted to all private institutions with tuitions ranging from $26k to $40k and received academic scholarships ranging from $12k to $26k 
Congratulations. It looks like you have some good options to choose from.