"Will You Be a Candidate for Financial Aid?"

<p>Quick question: when colleges ask this on applications, are they simply asking if you plan to turn in FAFSA and PROFILE? Or is the question asking more about your eligibility?
Thanks!</p>

<p>They are asking if you will be filing the FAFSA (everyone has to do that, even if you also have to file a Profile). Even if you want to borrow an unsubsidized student loan only (this is one not based on need), you must file a FAFSA. Schools have various reasons for asking this question. Some schools take this into consideration is admissions - these are called "need aware" schools. Others want a diversity of socioeconomic students - so they might actually look for students who are seeking aid. Still others are asking so that they can track your info & send you reminders to file for aid in a timely manner. And I suppose some schools use the info strictly for info purposes. So ... just answer honestly.</p>