Brandeis and Lehigh have been hounding me with emails about my financial aid applications not being completed. They need my parents’ tax returns apparently. Do they do this for all students with incomplete financial aid, or only ones that they are planning to admit?
They do it to all. I assume that you have submitted the required information.
I did not submit all of it before. The fact that they want my parents’ entire 2017 tax return is kind of insane. Scanning that is gonna be a pain…
Why would a college send it to all the applicants if they are rejecting so many though? I don’t think the email from Lehigh was an automated one. I think Brandeis’ was generic.
Because the FA office is doing its work in parallel to the admissions office doing its work. If the FA office waited until the admissions office were done, it may not have time to do all of the FA work.
I got those from (different) schools too. Both use the CSS Profile from the College Board, right? If so, did you fill it out and send it? There’s a service associated with the Profile called IDOC or something where you upload your tax returns etc.
I didn’t know about it either until recently – I don’t understand why they don’t just wait until you’re admitted to get them as “proof” since it’s sort of personal information. My parents were annoyed about it but if it’s required, you have to do it to get aid. I hate giving that kind of stuff to the College Board though…and I hate how you have to pay for the CSS Profile too! Doesn’t make sense to me 
@SuperSenior19 You do not have to send in any of that information. You can just be a full pay student.
@TomSrOfBoston You’re joking, right? I mean, yeah, I don’t have to, but I also don’t have 75k just lying around either.
Since @apost12 is asking the question, I’m assuming she wants to apply for need-based financial aid too. It’s imperative that she sends it in, or the colleges won’t award her any aid; if she’s getting the emails, her application is clearly incomplete.
Yes, I wish I didn’t have to send it in, but I’m not so mortally offended that I won’t do it, if it’s the difference between getting financial aid and being full pay (aka not going, for 90% of students).
@SuperSenior19, I don’t know if @TomSrOfBoston was joking, but there are enough students who begin the process, the family decides the amount of information is too invasive and don’t believe they will qualify for aid subsequently just stop the process. The FA offices are being kind in reminding students that the FA application is incomplete. It provides students opportunity to provide missing info or relay to FA office you aren’t applying for aid.
College is a business and at a certain 6, all things equal, an admissions tip goes to those not applying for aid.
@SuperSenior19 My point is that if a college is going to give you say $120,000 over four years they need proof that you need the aid. They will not accept your saying that “I need the money”. It may be annoying and invasive but that’s how need based aid works.
Exactly. Any institution from which someone is requesting a loan or a grant is going to ask for/need your financial information in order to make a decision. If you don’t wish to share it, that is your prerogative. But you won’t get any $ from them.
@SuperSenior19 Colleges have limited funds. If these schools are among those that give out aid until they run out and you delay getting your forms in there may not be any money left for you to get.
OP, You’re asking colleges for money. They aren’t “hounding” you. Without the forms you’re not eligible for aid. If they picked you for verification and you don’t file the appropriate forms they’ll just move on to the next student. How you pay for college if you’re accepted isn’t something they’re going to worry about.
Yeah I applied for need-based aid. Brandeis asked for a schedule C, and Lehigh wanted the full return and a FERPA document. I shouldn’t have used hounding - bad wording on my part. I am in the process of sending everything.
Btw I’m a guy lol
Yeah I totally get why they need proof (otherwise people would just lie) but I just don’t enjoy having to give my social security number to a dozen schools that may or may not accept me. The FAFSA and CSS Profile already have the information; the tax returns are just verification of it.
Anyway, the point I was trying to make is that I don’t think a lot of students realize that after submitting the CSS Profile, you still have to submit your tax returns and other documents through the IDOC portal. Then students ignore the emails because they think their aid applications are complete. Obviously, that’s not good.
@Longhaul, I don’t know how people get theirs done if their parents are uncooperative; it’s hard enough for my family to figure it out with all three of us on the case! 
Unfortunately lots of my friends who really should file the FAFSA don’t for similar reasons.
Unfortunately if you want financial aid, you have to play their game.
Colleges/government want to help people who need aid, but you have to prove you need aid.
So you either need to have your parents upload their tax forms or you need to find a cheaper college that they can pay for.