Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Check with each school applied to for confirmation that FAFSA and CSS are not required for merit aid.
I've scoured this forum on this topic and the only specific schools I've seen named that may require FAFSA filing for certain merit scholarships are Fordham and Villanova.
And, with Villanova, a relative filed the FAFSA and was awarded a scholarship described as merit aid but when we all received an inheritance the scholarship was pulled.
Why wouldn't it be?
Not PP, but it sounds like in that case, the "merit" scholarship actually had criteria that included need. That was a more common offering decades ago, to have combined criteria of both merit and need. In contrast, in recent years, many colleges have a more distinct separation between merit scholarships (not requiring any need whatsoever) and need-based financial aid. This distinction is important for families who do not qualify for need-based aid, and accordingly, are hunting for scholarships awarded only on merit.