Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. The financial aid office does NOT know if a student is accepted or not. They prepare financial aid offers for every applicant who applies for financial aid so that it is ready IF the student is accepted. But they do not know ahead of time and applicants cannot figure out if they are accepted based on the financial aid office’s letters or requests for documents.
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We were asked to send FAFSA again because of missing signature of missing info. I don’t know what is missing or is incorrect. What should I do. They received FAFSA back in Nov.
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Everyone that has checked has undergraduate this year so it’s just not true. Last year could be different. May be they fixed a bug in the system.
Call FA, they are there to help. It sounds like you don’t know what is missing and don’t want to send the same incomplete info. They will have noted what the issue is.
I’ll add that, Financial Aid is often swamped this time of year. It is sometimes easier (less time on hold), if you call when they first open
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lol, 30 & 45-min waits on hold, at least, and that was in the morning when they opened as well. Extremely difficult to get through, especially a week out from select announcements, which I suppose is understandable. I will say that their FAQs were helpful - they even have written responses about the lag time between IRS requests and receiving your information from them.
We also received the Veri-tax email last week. With concerns about data phishing and scams, was happy to see folks on CC from 2020 posting about Veri-Tax, which gave me a level of safety.
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Yes, it can get quite bad. Fortunately, they are helpful when you get through to someone. Just prepare for the wait and don’t call when you are in a rush.
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What’s ironic is that I left a VM on Harvard’s FA line on Friday. They called ME back on MONDAY! Super impressed. My new best friend Carol was great with info and their website has a ton of useful info for any school. Yeah. It’s Haavaad. We laughed when I said they were smart in how they go about it all. I mean…lol
EA applicant. Been ignoring the FA emails. EFC is high.
Expecting to be NMSC finalist. Any insight into if I should still fill FAFSA. I hear USC gives half -off merit scholarship to NMSC finalists. I did list USC s first choice.
Any insights?
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If a student is accepted into USC and they are a National Merit Finalist, they will receive a half-tuition Presidential Scholarship. You must list USC as your first choice with NMSC before May 31.
https://ask.usc.edu/app/answers/detail/a_id/898/~/what-types-of-scholarships-are-national-merit-finalists-eligible-for-at-usc
Regarding the FAFSA, I don’t know how USC determined who received funds, but other colleges distributed their CARES Act funds to students who submitted a FAFSA. That may be a one-off but it is something that you can’t go back and change after the fact. FAFSA isn’t difficult to submit. CSS, on the other hand, is a bear.
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It’s a big week coming up and students and parents alike will be on pins and needles.
There will be a elation for a very few (around 2k), but for many more, there will be disappointment and angst (43k in this first round) that is a natural part of the process. We will see both next week. There are those that will get in, but won’t get merit or finanical aid, so won’t be able to attend. For some, the acceptance process is a clear ride, for others (most), it is full of emotional ups and downs. For those deferred, the thought they have to go through the acceptance cycle again can be mentally exhausting. March/April can be a roller coaster no matter the news. Even though mine got into USC and all ended well, the process had moments of pure torture. So prepare for this by knowing you (or your student) are going to college somewhere, and whether USC or not, new friends and experiences await. Wherever it is, commit to bring your own special magic. You determine your future, don’t let disppointment from any college define it.
Whether next week or in March, if things don’t go your way, it’s ok (and expected) to be sad, or be pissed and even jealous, but by the time a day to two passes - or set a deadline of by the end of the weekend - commit to shake it off best you can and committ to love the one that loves you in the end. Get your head to the place, “if they don’t want me, I don’t want them.” Just know your special place is out there - because you will make it special. Rise up over rejection. Do great things to make it USC’s loss.
For years, I have always been encouraged by how supportive the posters are on the USC pages here (compared to some other sites). If you are struggling in this process, please talk to someone, even on a random site like this, find people to support you. They are out there, and we are here.
Please don’t let the numbers game of college admissions define you. Don’t let any school make you think you are not awesome. Especially a college that simply doesn’t have enough space for your awesomeness. It’s not you, it’s them. Regardless of the outcome, FIGHT ON!
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I am slightly confused - does USC defer everyone who does not get a merit scholarship? Or could they offer admission but no scholarship in the EA round?
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About 1000 -1200 or so will get merit consideration. The other 1000 will “just” get accepted. We understand total acceptance to be 2000-2200 this round so some float in those set of figures.
Prior to this year, and for decades, only those up for merit consideration found out early. And it was by mail for many years (yes, I confess to stalking our mailman). So I understand the confusion. It’s a whole new ballgame this year.
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What time of day has USC come out in past years?
After 3:00pm PST
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Several posts spreading misinformation have been deleted
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Is the accept percentage lower than regular decision at USC? meaning other than being considered for a merit scholarship, one is actually at a disadvantage applying early?
No one will be rejected at the early stage so there is no disadvantage. All student not accepted will be deferred to RD.
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Seems like kids with some talents would more likely get picked for scholarship based offf their description.
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Talent and passion would both be draws to acceptance and possibly scholarships. They love a theme or someone that is deeply committed to their interest.
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