Anonymous wrote:Our income right now is 155,000. Any chance we'd get any FA?

No, unless you stay in-state. Our HHI is approx $110k and we got no need-based aid. MHEC offered $3000/year, but DD went out-of-state so it was cancelled.

CSS is the College Board's Financial Aid profile. You pay to submit the profiles to schools so it's another way for College Board to make money after your child has taken the SATs and AP Exams. http://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile

Another reason to complete the FASFA is if, during the current school year,you or your spouse loses their job, you can ask the school for a 2nd look for some aid. FAFSA is due in March for upperclassman-if you miss the deadline, you must wait for another year to apply.

Our income right now is 155,000. Any chance we'd get any FA?

Anonymous wrote:What's CSS? Who uses it?

I just looked this up, and it says "Cascading Style Sheets".

It's astonishing how few people fill out the FAFSA, and then can't figure out why their kid isn't getting any scholarships. For the reasons outlined above, you need to fill out the FAFSA if you want ANY type of aid, merit or need-based.

If you have no desire for any aid, don't fill out the FAFSA. If you don't need or want aid, just pay upfront and be done with it.

Most parents at our school filled out the FAFSA. Almost everyone said their parental contribution came back at $31,000. Why, I don't know. I have not done it yet, but will soon. I'm sure the people I know have different (but not huge) incomes, so I don't know where that $31K number comes from. None of us can afford that anyway, but we all need to apply for scholarships, so that's why we are filing out the bloody form!!!

What's CSS? Who uses it?

I think the CSS is a good idea. Too many people of means (those with second homes and multiple business ventures) expect financial aid. The CSS ferrets some, but not all, of this out. I want financial aid at my kid's LAC to go to first gen college students and those who truly have financial need.

I'm thinking that if we don't submit a FAFSA, the college will assume we can pay in full. No forms necessary.

So my kid shouldn't be awarded a scholarship based on merit alone because we can afford to pay in full? My point is if it's a merit scholarship, the school shouldn't be asking about our financial situation.

No, that's not what I was saying. Since the school has a limited endowment, if they have a kid who is already receiving a bunch of institutional need based aid and pell grants, then then doesn't it make sense to give the merit aid to someone who doesn't already have their education paid for? You could, potentially, have all the aid go to the same kid in that situation...and rather than spread the aid around, end up having one person get a stipend for school. If you have all the information right there, you can allocate merit aid and need based aid in a fashion that makes the most sense for the incoming class and the amount of endowment the school has available for aid. It's not all about you.

Anonymous wrote:

I'm so eager to put all my family's financial information in a centralized private service somewhere in cyberspace....not.

So tell me, how are a combination of colleges and federal agencies supposed to award aid? By an honor system? This is how much I say I make? You people are paranoid. I don't think it makes sense to award merit aid if someone is already eligible for pell grants and institutional grants. Colleges have limited endowments. There are a lot of things that involve giving your financial information to qualify for...a mortgage or lease, your taxes, certain subsidies, etc.

So my kid shouldn't be awarded a scholarship based on merit alone because we can afford to pay in full? My point is if it's a merit scholarship, the school shouldn't be asking about our financial situation.