Private college told us 3 times to file FAFSA and CSS

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[Post New]02/04/2014 21:50
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Our son just got merit aid from three schools and we didn't fill out a fafsa.

Congrats! Was the merit $ included with the acceptance letter or something else?
[Post New]02/04/2014 22:32
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Anonymous
If you are asking to be considered for merit aid, many schools won't consider the application complete until the FAFSA is turned in.
[Post New]02/05/2014 09:15
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Anonymous
Many local merit scholarships (i.e. Senatorial scholarships) also require proof that the FAFSA has been filed.
[Post New]02/05/2014 09:40
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Anonymous
Yes, many schools require it. And some do not. blah.blah blah.

Hasn't this been established already??
[Post New]02/05/2014 14:10
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Yes, many schools require it. And some do not. blah.blah blah.

Hasn't this been established already??

Thanks for your input. I take you've been through this before.
[Post New]02/10/2014 16:22
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Anonymous
Any chances that you are applying to a program or specific major that does not have fully need-blind admissions?

Otherwise, they could have a concern of mailing out accept/reject letters (meaning your DC is accepted, but once you apply for aid they would in essence by rejected DC by not being able to come close to fully funding unfunded need).

[Post New]02/10/2014 16:45
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Our son just got merit aid from three schools and we didn't fill out a fafsa.


Our DC got large scholarships at multiple schools, no financial aid form (this was two years ago). The offers came with the acceptance letters. All were match/safety SLACs, all top 50, name brand schools (at least to the DC crowd). Of course DC went to a school that offered no aid.
[Post New]02/10/2014 18:26
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I have three kids in three different colleges. One private and two state schools. All three insisted on FAFSA before they awarded scholarships. We knew we wouldn't qualify for any kind of financial aid but we had to do it in order for them to receive their academic and athletic scholarships.


Is there a downside to filling out the FAFSA? We won't qualify either, but I've been told that you have to file the FAFSA if you want merit scholarships at public and private colleges.

Has FAFSA ever been hacked? Anyone lose any of their financial information? Is it a very secure site?

What other downside can there be to filing the FAFSA? Do colleges get all this personal information about you, or do they get some sort of summary?

Anyone know?

Several people have posted here that they don't like the idea of putting all their financial information on FAFSA. I worry about that too, but DD has to get merit scholarships or DD is not going to go to college.
[Post New]02/10/2014 18:30
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Our son just got merit aid from three schools and we didn't fill out a fafsa.


Our DC got large scholarships at multiple schools, no financial aid form (this was two years ago). The offers came with the acceptance letters. All were match/safety SLACs, all top 50, name brand schools (at least to the DC crowd). Of course DC went to a school that offered no aid.


What grades/scores for your kids? And where did they end up going?

I have a DD with an 85 gpa, scores in English off the charts, math barely above average.

I worry DD won't get any aid, but we can't afford to send her to a SLAC without aid, and I'm sure that's where she needs to be. She would be lost in a huge state U, which is all we can afford (in-state).

So, I'm curious -- were your kids top of the charts in grades/scores -- is that why they were offered so much money when neither one applied?

Thanks for your answers. I'm so stressed out about paying for college that I can't sleep.
[Post New]02/10/2014 18:33
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:Our son just got merit aid from three schools and we didn't fill out a fafsa.


How much merit aid? A free ride? Or just a few thousand to soften the blow?

[Post New]02/11/2014 09:42
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Anonymous
I'm the PP whose DC got multiple merit aid offers...DC had a 3.5 (unweighted, strong upward trajectory) from a highly competitive private hs, a 32 ACT with perfect english and reading scores, and a very strong package of extracurriculars. In other words, an ideal SLAC candidate. My advice: first of all, check to see which SLACs offer merit aid and which don't (college confidential is all over this). Then see if your DC is in the upper 50 percent, or ideally upper 25 percent, of applicants, based on the common data set info for each school that you can find online. If so, and if the school awards merit aid, DC will likely get an offer...because these schools are eager for strong kids to attend.
Some state schools automatically award merit aid to strong applicants...Alabama and Vermont come to mind. I've heard other Southern state schools are especially generous.
My DC had a specific academic interest and wound up going to a top state school. But the merit offers DC received did influence the process -- when there's a 25k/year price difference between SLACs, you have to wonder if the more expensive (and more prestigious) option is really worth it. In the end, my DC decided not.
[Post New]02/21/2014 20:25
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:I'm the PP whose DC got multiple merit aid offers...DC had a 3.5 (unweighted, strong upward trajectory) from a highly competitive private hs, a 32 ACT with perfect english and reading scores, and a very strong package of extracurriculars. In other words, an ideal SLAC candidate. My advice: first of all, check to see which SLACs offer merit aid and which don't (college confidential is all over this). Then see if your DC is in the upper 50 percent, or ideally upper 25 percent, of applicants, based on the common data set info for each school that you can find online. If so, and if the school awards merit aid, DC will likely get an offer...because these schools are eager for strong kids to attend.
Some state schools automatically award merit aid to strong applicants...Alabama and Vermont come to mind. I've heard other Southern state schools are especially generous.
My DC had a specific academic interest and wound up going to a top state school. But the merit offers DC received did influence the process -- when there's a 25k/year price difference between SLACs, you have to wonder if the more expensive (and more prestigious) option is really worth it. In the end, my DC decided not.


Thanks for posting, PP. I will check out this route. DD is not as strong a candidate as your DC, but she has to get merit scholarships, so I'll check out college confidential. Very useful tip. We're just starting this process, and feeling overwhelmed by all the choices/decisions. Glad your DC found the right fit.
[Post New]02/21/2014 20:26
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Anonymous
Just wanted to mention Ole Miss -- a friend's DD got a four year free ride to the honors college there, and she had no need and her parents didn't fill out the FAFSA. She did want a Southern school though.
[Post New]02/22/2014 08:31
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Anonymous
Anonymous wrote:We won't qualify for financial aid and I don't want to provide financial info to college, FAFSA or CSS. Am I missing something by ignoring their many "recommendations" that we file these forms? (No chance of merit aid at this school but merit aid is possible at a few other schools where DS has applied). Thanks for any insight.


When I applied to grad school, I wanted to be eligible for merit aid. I couldn't afford to go otherwise. I filled out the FAFSA. The one school that required info from my parents (who would not provide it), well this school cashed my check and then never even had the courtesy to reject me and my "incomplete" application.

Just do what they say. It is their institutional money to give.
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