Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
PP again. I ask this because my understanding is that you can’t get merit aid or scholarships if you don’t fill out the FAFSA.

Not true.

Merit aid is not based on financial need.

Yes, I know that, but I’ve read different articles online that insist many schools won’t give merit aid if the FAFSA is not submitted. But sounds like that’s not true.

I actually thought that as well!

We didn't fill it out - income was around $1m a the time and it seemed ridiculous to even try for merit aid. Most of the schools were need based only, but one DC did get a couple of merit aid offers.

We did not fill out FAFSA. Neither kid attended a school with merit. (The schools did not offer merit). Both applied ED and were accepted.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t fill it out, got over $100k/year in merit aid at some schools.

Most schools did not seem to care but one school has been repeatedly asking us to fill it out, including offering $2k in aid if we fill it out. It has been aggressive enough that I wonder if they monetize the data. But that had happened long after admissions, which were EA.

Just curious... what school costs $100K/year? That seems like excessive merit aid.

Oh sorry!! That was a mistake by me. I meant $100k/4 years.

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t fill it out, got over $100k/year in merit aid at some schools.

Most schools did not seem to care but one school has been repeatedly asking us to fill it out, including offering $2k in aid if we fill it out. It has been aggressive enough that I wonder if they monetize the data. But that had happened long after admissions, which were EA.

Just curious... what school costs $100K/year? That seems like excessive merit aid.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
PP again. I ask this because my understanding is that you can’t get merit aid or scholarships if you don’t fill out the FAFSA.

Not true.

Merit aid is not based on financial need.

Yes, I know that, but I’ve read different articles online that insist many schools won’t give merit aid if the FAFSA is not submitted. But sounds like that’s not true.

+1 I’ve read this as well.

Didn’t fill it out, got over $100k/year in merit aid at some schools.

Most schools did not seem to care but one school has been repeatedly asking us to fill it out, including offering $2k in aid if we fill it out. It has been aggressive enough that I wonder if they monetize the data. But that had happened long after admissions, which were EA.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. We made $300 and didn’t fill it out. There’s no point. We weren’t getting news based aid anywhere.

$300k HHI? Couldn’t you have qualified for merit aid or something like that?

PP again. I ask this because my understanding is that you can’t get merit aid or scholarships if you don’t fill out the FAFSA.

NOT true at many universities. My kid's applied to over 25 universities and NONE of those required FAFSA for merit aide. So check with the individual colleges your kids are applying to and see. I contacted all of them and inquired, and happily didn't fill it out

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No. We made $300 and didn’t fill it out. There’s no point. We weren’t getting news based aid anywhere.

$300k HHI? Couldn’t you have qualified for merit aid or something like that?

My kids have applied to over 25 universities and NONE of those required fafsa for merit aide. Merit aide is awarded based on well, merit...so your finances have nothing to do with it at most places. I've heard there are a few that do, but in my experience, the majority do not.So there is absolutely no reason to waste time on filling it out.

No. We would only fill it out if a university required it to get merit awards. All 3 of our kids attended/are attending unverisities with merit and it was not required, and not required at the 25+ schools my kids applied to in order to get merit. So I have never had the torture of filling it out

Only other reason would be in case your income/assest might change dramatically---then you could go back and appeal. But most with $400K+ salary and major assets are not going to somehow loose all of that and qualify for any aide.

Didn't bother as way too many assets combined with high income. All schools that DS applied to base merit aid solely on merit, not FAFSA data.

Did not fill out FAFSA. Offered merit aid at a VA public

We did not fill it out and our child got merit offers at a number of schools (mostly targets and lower, not reaches).

Anonymous wrote:No. We made $300 and didn’t fill it out. There’s no point. We weren’t getting news based aid anywhere.

Us, too. Kid got offered merit aid everywhere she applied.

I think there are only a few colleges that require a FAFSA. Pre covid, DD applied to Fordham and they said she needed to complete the FAFSA. So that was the end of Fordham for us.