<p>My son is a college junior. He is considering doing a program which would allow him to graduate with a combined BA and Master's.
On FAFSA, there's a grade level question for the coming year, which I answered as "Senior," and there's a question asking what degree will you be working toward, which I answered "1st bachelor's degree."
Now I've run into this question: At the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year, will you be working on a master's or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?
My son MIGHT be working on a master's in conjunction with his bachelor's, but he might not. How do I answer this? What happens if he changes his mind later?</p>
<p>OK, just got some clarification from my son. He IS in fact in the “Progressive Degree Program,” but will have undergraduate status during his time at this University.
So I am still not sure how to answer the question, since he is taking some graduate level courses and may pursue a master’s but is also still an undergraduate working on his bachelor’s.</p>
<p>inspired, all three of my D’s were in the same situation: began graduate program during their senior years of undergraduate study. In all three cases, we were instructed by the schools to answer “no” to the question about beginning the masters or doctorate programs because 1) the credits earned from the graduate level classes were also fulfilling credit requirements toward their bachelors degrees. 2) They could have ended their studies at the end of their senior years with their bachelors degrees or continued with the graduate programs ie they were not solely enrolled in advanced degree programs. It appears that this is the case for your son also.</p>
<p>It is particularly important that you answer the question correctly because if he is Pell eligible, a FAFSA classification as a grad student will not only cause him to be ineligible for Pell grants but would also make him ineligible for subsidized loans.</p>
<p>In addition to the wrong answer making him non-Pell eligible, it will also cause problems with loans. I used to do the mid-year status changes for my school’s pharmD program, and I worked closely with students to make the FAFSA changes when the student was no longer eligible to be classified as an undergrad. Until that time. all answers should reflect an undergrad status.</p>