My son checked no on all his apps regarding requesting financial aid. Some schools have merit aid though and he is a NMSF. We have been asked to submit financial aid forms but I don’t know why since we want nothing that is need based. Just checking if there is a reason for me to divulge my personal information if it is of likely low yield… i.e. if there is a need based component, he won’t get anything anyway.
Some schools do require this.
They will let you know if you need to do that for the merit aid. Check with them or wait until you hear.
Thanks. I have had some conflicting information and couldn’t find answers by googling. Fordham had requested FAFSA and I called FA office and they told me I had to fill out the forms and that it was required to get any aid including merit. I wrote to our regional admissions committee rep just to check with her and she then said they recommend it but that I can request a FAFSA waiver. I got the feeling that they recommend it because I may think I won’t get any need based aid when in reality there may be additional money that is need based that I would not get if I did not ask. Example would be someone making 135K, or even 165k. I absolutely know I won’t get any aid if there is a whiff of need base associated with it. However, I am a single mom funding it all myself and 250k is a big bite and I would certainly appreciate any discount that merit aid could provide.
I called FA again and got a different person this time and they said I can request a FAFSA waiver and still be eligible for the NMSF aid of full tuition. So, varying information, which is why I am seeking any experience and info here.
I would fill it out to be on the safe side. It isn’t that big a deal. We filled it out fro Freshman year, but stopped after that when it was clear we were never getting a cent for younger D at NYU 
Thanks, but I think I will be in the same camp where it is clear about never getting a cent. It just seems like if you don’t fill it out, you should be relegated to pure merit aid only and not be shut out altogether. I feel it is informationally intrusive if I am taking the position of being okay if I am shut out of any need based aid whatsoever. Just give me what you would give for pure merit only. Perhaps those that require it do have a need based component to their “merit” aid; in which case, we are likely to get nothing anyway.
- No one will force you to do a FAFSA. But it would be a shame if your kiddo could receive merit aid...And doesn't because you won't complete the form. Then again...if you don't mind paying the full price, it doesn't matter.
My kid got a music performance award. It was based solely on his audition. His school required the completion of both the FAFSA and Profile for all aid…even merit aid like this performance award. His scholarship essentially paid for one full year of college. So…we did the forms.
Oh, I will fill out the FAFSA if it is required to get true merit aid with no need component, thumper1. It just isn’t clear to me that it is required and also why it should be required if it is pure merit/no need. The answers I’ve gotten from this school are just so unclear to me.
Yes, I’ve wondered the same thing @1203southview
I’m going to go ahead and fill it out. First, because I don’t want to have to scramble later if I missed the fact that the school D ultimately decides on requires it; Second, I suppose there is a very outside chance that we might be eligible for a bit, although I really doubt it; Third, it is required for the $5500 loan that any student can take out, regardless of income, and it would be nice to have that cushion if needed.
It would be easier if the information was consistent from the school itself, MidwestDad3, but each person I contacted has a different answer. First answer was yes, you must fill the forms out (FA person). Second person said we like you to but you can request a FAFSA waiver (Adcom). 3rd person today (FA #2) said it is not necessary for merit aid and I can request FAFSA waiver. So I did… and got a letter back saying:
We encourage all families who are interested in receiving maximum consideration for University grants and scholarships complete both the CSS/Financial Aid Profile (CSS Profile) and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Historically, families who filed both the FAFSA and the CSS Profile, by the published deadline, qualified on average for an additional $4,000 in gift aid. The outcome depends on individual circumstances, but the data offers good reason to complete both applications.
If you do not plan on filing the CSS Profile and/or the FAFSA, please respond to this e-mail stating your intention. With this information, we will not do any further outreach to your family on the financial aid process."
The last sentence seems to imply no merit aid without FAFSA… so the message has been back and forth.
I guess I will just fill the forms out but thought I’d check here first to see if I could get more info. I am scouring the Fordham threads here as well. I’ve gone to the official source 4 times with varying information so I was still perplexed and puzzled. I have asked this question at many of the college info sessions I have gone to and all of them have said that if only applying for pure merit aid, no financial aid forms are needed.
I found this old thread which keeps the confusion going (some state that one must fill out the forms and others say they got FA merit based without filling out forms):
I’m in the ‘better safe than sorry’ group. For DD#1, her school wanted a FAFSA for her merit aid so I just filled it out. Well, one day an alum scholarship just appeared on her financial aid page. We never applied for it or really even knew about it, it just appeared on her FA page with the Stafford loans. The website clearly says that the FAFSA is require for this type of scholarship so if fafsa wasn’t on file, she wouldn’t have received the award. It was only $2k, but every little bit helps.
Some schools explicitly state that if you don’t apply for need based aid, you can’t come back and apply for it in a future year. Not sure if they would hold to it, but my thought is that you never know what life will throw at your (I am a single parent, and know that a disabling illness or accident, or unexpected downturn in my business could put me into FA territory even if we aren’t there at the moment). I’d fill it out. Even though he isn’t officially applying, you can at least say that you filled out the forms for them if it comes back around in the future.
That thing about not applying for aid in subsequent years mostly applies to international students. There are a few schools that do place restrictions on applying for institutional aid for all after year one, if you did as an incoming freshman.
But that has nothing to do with the FAFSA. The FAFSA is primarily used to award federally funded need based aid. It can be completed at any time for purposes of getting a Direct Loan…or if the student becomes Pell Grant eligible…they would get that too.
I agree with the better safe tha sorry approach…unless you are fully prepared to pay the full cost of attendance. It doesn’t take long to complete a FAFSA.