Still eligible for financial aid?

Hi CC users,

I’m freaking out!! I am an ED applicant who, at the time of applying, wasn’t worried about the financial aid aspects of the application due to my parents saying to apply and disregard it as a factor. Doing so, I applied, but I checked the “intent to apply for financial aid” box since I realized that Brown is need-blind and that it can’t hurt. However, I was unaware that a CSS profile was required to be eligible for financial aid and now it’s far too late to submit one as the deadline was November 3rd. I have a few questions:

  1. Am I screwed? I did tick the box intending to pursue need-based financial aid, but I didn’t submit a CSS profile. Will this negatively harm my application in any way?
  2. Assuming I am accepted, am I still eligible in any way to file for financial aid for my Freshman year, or is it impossible? Since the FAFSA deadline is not until much later, is it still possible that I could fill that out and qualify or is it too late?
  3. Assuming I am a returning student, I am eligible for financial aid starting my sophomore year, if not my freshman year, right?

Any answers are appreciated!! Sorry I’m super freaking out right now.

On their website’s financial aid section, it says you are still able to apply for FAFSA financial aid, as well as financial aid all your up-coming years, but you are not eligible for scholarships. http://www.brown.edu/about/administration/financial-aid/first-year-applicants

Don’t freak out! Most likely what will happen is that you will not get your financial aid package if you get accepted ED. You just need to complete FAFSA and the CSS profile before the regular decision date to apply for aid. I had a similar delay with my CSS profile and this is what they told me.

@wifigirl Oh my gosh, that’s a huge relief!!! Thank you so much!!

Call on Monday. Spend the weekend filling out CSS.

@fireandrain Is it okay if I wait until after admission results to call? Both my parents and I don’t want this blunder to hurt my chances and I feel like if I call on Monday and say “Hey, sorry but I forgot to fill out the CSS on time” then they’ll label me as irresponsible or such.

If you call financial aid, admissions will never know.

Get it in ASAP. You do NOT want to accept an ED slot without seeing your FA package. Do it this weekend, send it in, and get any other required paperwork in with it ASAP. Call the FA office Monday and explain that you didn’t understand about it, but are now doing everything as fast as possible. Don’t worry about admissions.

Agree with intparent. I understand the paranoia over admissions, but this is a situation where the paranoia is focused in the wrong direction. You need to resolve the financial aid issue.

@fireandrain @intparent Is it for sure that it won’t damage my chances though? I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but my parent’s have said that while financial aid is nice, the admission decision is the most important and they don’t mind having to pay for one year of full tuition. If it truly won’t affect admissions, I’ll do it as soon as possible. Thank you for your answers and sorry about my overconcern!

Brown is need blind. They mean it. Don’t compound the mistake you have already made. Colleges consider it to be a bait & switch tactic for students to not apply for aid one year, then to apply for it in future years when they have had no change in financial circumstances. You may or may not get aid if you don’t apply for it this year.

Given how little understanding you seem to have of the FA process, it looks like maybe you never visited the FA web pages for each college. Did you run price calculators for each school from those pages to see what your expected cost of attendance may be? If not, you should also do that. Note that if your parents are divorced, have a small business, or own rental property, they aren’t as accurate (show more aid than you would actually receive).

Unless your parents are willing to pay full price for four years, get your paperwork in.

Financial aid is not going to call admissions just to tell them about one student. Really, think about it. They have plenty of other things to do.

@intparent @fireandrain Ok, thank you for the help. I’ll be sure to fill out all the forms this weekend and call financial aid on Monday. And I have run financial-aid calculators for Brown, it does show a hefty sum in Institutional Scholarships, which I assume is the main FA I should be aiming to get. Other then that though, you’re pretty much right: other then a quick scan through the FA Q&A I haven’t done much research. Thank you both for the help, it’s much appreciated!!

@fireandrain @intparent I submitted my CSS profile this weekend and called financial aid this morning, and they were extremely helpful. They said that I am still eligible for financial aid, but the package may come later than admission decisions does, as the deadline does not signify eligibility, only the time of which you receive your financial aid package. Thank you guys so much for your help!!!

Excellent. Thanks for reporting back to us. I wish you good luck (and certainly hope that if you do get in, you hear about your aid package quickly enough to make a good decision).

Well… you do have the right to ask to extend the decision date on an ED acceptance until you have seen the FA package, although it is certainly going to be your fault and not the school’s that the FA package information is late. But if you are accepted and have to wait for the FA package, ask admissions for an extension on accepting the ED offer until you have seen and agree with the FA offer. If you need the FA reviewed (can’t make it work, think they don’t have all the info), you can also request that. Do NOT stop working on your other applications, and submit them as deadlines approach, until you are SURE the FA works if you do get accepted ED. We had a student a couple of years ago from another top school who stopped working on and submitting his apps when he got his ED acceptance, but then he couldn’t make the FA work. He was in a bad spot, as he had missed the app deadlines or was right up against them at most of his other schools. So don’t stop, and don’t withdraw any apps until you are SURE you agree with your FA package if you get in ED.