My kid applied and got into a private university. this is his first year. Based on various EFC calculators, our EFC was well above cost of attendance . So we didn’t fill out FAFSA and CSS.
I’m thinking of applying for his second year.
Is it worth it?
Did anyone whose EFC exceeded cost of attendance still get some financial award from a university? Can you share your experience?
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Was one of the “various” calculators the school’s own NPC, accessed through the school’s website? If not, do that NPC for a sanity check.
You really need to direct this question to the school’s financial aid office. You shouldn’t rely on any answer you get here.
The short answer is yes - well they all say, no matter your situation apply.
I did - and wasted money on CSS - but at least I knew - i tried.
There are a few schools that require FAFSA for merit aid. There are actually some (few) that auto scholarship for doing FAFSA too.
You’re likely getting nothing as you expect - but for me, it just made me feel like I covered all bases. If you don’t need that fulfillment, you’re likely losing nothing.
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Does the school your student attends give merit aid, or just need based aid?
some schools won’t give aid if fafsa was never applied for prior to freshman year. so find out your college policy. if they allow it…then it can’t hurt.
We had to fill out all of these forms, hours of effort and not meaningless cost, to get a merit based award for a school my S21 did not wind up attending. So there can be a reason but there is no reason to do it now, only if a specific school says it is needed.
If theree’s any chance you want the federal student loan, fill out the FAFSA. We did that in case something came up and he needed to take that loan. FAFSA is not as hard as CSS either.
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You are always eligible for and allowed to apply for federal aid. Federal aid is an entitlement, whether it is full pell or an unsubsidized loan, you can apply and receive what you are eligible for when you file the FAFSA.
Regarding institutional aid: Some schools do have policies in place when it comes to distributing their funds. At some schools, if you do not apply as a freshman, you cannot get institutional aid in subsequent years. Other schools have policies that if you do not apply as a freshman, you go to the back of the line in subsequent years. While at other schools, if you apply and are eligible you will receive aid especially if you have had a change in your financial situation(this happens at the large endowment schools).
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That’s what I said - some schools won’t give it after freshman year - they would need to check with their institution.
You can ALWAYS file a FAFSA and receive any aid entitled under it. Schools can make any rules they want to about their own money (and only give it out under the CSS application if they so choose), but you can always fill out the FAFSA, get the loans, get any other money you are entitled to.
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@Luckyjade2024 yes, the OP should check…but this policy of restricting aid after freshman year is limited to a small number of schools for citizens or permanent residents.
Plus, the FAFSA can always be filed to get a Pell Grant, if eligible, and to access the Direct Loans for the student. These are not controlled by the colleges.
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OP won’t qualify for pell as EFC was too high
To be clear - OP is looking for University aid. OP is not looking for Pell. Most Universities won’t give aid to second years if aid was never asked for going in. Check with your school in this case.
You are missing the point, which is students can always apply for federal aid.
It does not matter if the family is PELL grant eligible or if the family is deemed to be full pay and the only thing the student is eligible for is an unsub loan. The student can always file the FAFSA.
You are making a blanket statement that students will not be eligible for subsequent aid moving forward. While this is true at a small number of schools, it is not a hard blanket rule.
Looks like OP’s son is at Emory, where if student is eligible for institutional aid, they would receive aid if they filed the necessary financial aid forms.
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I know the point - but OP does not qualify for federal aid - they are looking for University aid. That’s why I said to contact the University. I’m at Tufts and they make it clear - Institutional aid will not be awarded if it was not applied for prior to admissions.
Op Does qualify for federal aid. They may not want an unsubsidized loan (yes, loans are considered financial aid), but their child would be eligible for it if they filed the FAFSA.
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Thank you for the replies. Based on EFC calculator, our EFC was above COA. So we didn’t bother to fill out FAFSA or CSS when my son applied for the private university (Emory). But I heard that some schools do give out some money. So I was wondering if I should just fill them out for 2nd year if there are no negatives. If our EFC is above COA, can we just fill out CSS (not FAFSA)?
No,
If you are a US citizen, Permanent resident or eligible non citizen you cannot apply for institutional aid by just filling out the CSS profile with out the FAFSA
Emory Financial Aid states:
Need-based applicants typically receive some combination of institutional and federal grants, loans, and work-study awards. To be considered for need-based financial aid, you must submit the FAFSA, CSS Profile, and tax returns (if applicable) by the stated deadline for your admission plan.
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To reiterate and emphasize – OP’s son DOES qualify for federal aid, because unsubsidized federal direct loans are federal aid.
Again, to reiterate and emphasize – Tufts is the exception, not the rule. A small minority of schools (including, apparently, Tufts) have a rule that institutional need-based aid will not be awarded to continuing students if the student did not apply for such aid in the initial freshman enrollment process.
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You don’t know that. Everyone who can file a FAFSA qualifies for federal loans, and that is federal aid. Circumstances could change for the family over 4 years of filing FAFSA. Jobs are lost, parents die, students get married, become homeless.
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