FAFSA question

He Who Shall Be Unnamed

6:48p, 1/11/24

Is there any downside to NOT filling out an FAFSA form? In other words, is there any chance that my son would not be considered for some merit based aid if I do not fill it out? One of the schools he applied to is emailing me, suggesting/requesting that I submit this form in order to "increase your chances of receiving the best possible overall financial aid package". I know he won't qualify for any federal or other needs based aid, and I plan to pay for college with 529 money. I just want to make sure that I do not give up on some merit based aid if I don't fill one out, and just as importantly if I do fill one out, does that risk his chances of getting such ("this kid doesn't need it, we'll accept him but give scholarship money to someone else")?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can answer this.

Complete Idiot

7:17p, 1/12/24

Got this in an email from my senior's HS today: " Completing the FAFSA form is a high school graduation requirement in the state of Texas. "

ag97tx

8:57p, 1/12/24

In reply to Complete Idiot

The school counselor should have an opt out form that you can sign if you don't want to fill out the FAFSA. In terms of graduation from high school you either fill out FAFSA or sign opt out form to meet the requirement.

Complete Idiot

9:00p, 1/12/24

In reply to ag97tx

ag97tx said:
The school counselor should have an opt out form that you can sign if you don't want to fill out the FAFSA. In terms of graduation from high school you either fill out FAFSA or sign opt out form to meet the requirement.

I guess my question is the same as the OP's then. I also know we don't qualify for aid and 529 will pay for a good chunk if not all of undergrad. Any point to filling out a FAFSA?

I had no idea anything - FAFSA or a FAFSA opt out - was some type of state requirement. Feels like a data mining effort.

He Who Shall Be Unnamed

8:13a, 1/13/24

In reply to Complete Idiot

Complete Idiot said:
Got this in an email from my senior's HS today: " Completing the FAFSA form is a high school graduation requirement in the state of Texas. "

I am not in the state of Texas, and my state apparently does not mandate completing a FAFSA form. Now I have another question - why on earth would the state mandate this be completed as a graduation requirement? But my original question remains as well.

agdoc91

11:12a, 1/13/24

I have one that is currently as sophomore and we complete FAFSA every year. There have been a few small grants provided by the university that were automatically applied to her account that I am not sure would have happened without FAFSA. This includes a $1K grant from Mays. She also has a few, small TAMU related scholarships that she was eligible for that she otherwise wouldn't have been without FAFSA. It was worth it for us to go through the process and renewal every year is very simple.

mccjames

11:32a, 1/29/24

Filled it out freshman year and didn't do it again.

Way too much information for something I knew we would not qualify for. It really should not be used for Merit scholarships, imho.

Easy come, Easy go

Kool

12:06p, 1/29/24

Avoid the rush. Start hating Socialism now.

No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.

TexAg2001

12:20p, 1/29/24

I have a Jr at a TX public university. He has an Honors scholarship that pays about 1/2. He doesn't qualify for any need-based aid, but we fill it out every year because we were told that completing the FAFSA was a requirement to accept the scholarship money.

I had the same concern as the OP, but filling it out did not impact the amount of his scholarship.

He's also received several random merit-based scholarships from the University for various semesters. $500 1 semester, $1500 another, $1000 another. They said he wouldn't have been on a list to get that additional money if he hadn't completed the FAFSA. If I understand correctly, they were basically extra scholarships that no-one applied for or they didn't award enough of, so they divvied them up.

Kool

2:20p, 1/29/24

In reply to TexAg2001

Avoid the rush. Start hating Socialism now.

No material on this site is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See full Medical Disclaimer.

kyle field 94

2:24p, 1/29/24

Has anyone completed this years fafsa application and actually had it sent to colleges or is there application still pending and under review

Has anyone heard from A&M regarding financial aid awards or even any communication yet?

Bonfire.1996

3:17p, 1/29/24

In reply to kyle field 94

kyle field 94 said:
Has anyone completed this years fafsa application and actually had it sent to colleges or is there application still pending and under review

Has anyone heard from A&M regarding financial aid awards or even any communication yet?

No, still pending.

However, my sons recruiter said scholarship offer letters will be sent "by the first week of Feb."

kyle field 94

9:33a, 3/23/24

Has anyone heard back from A&M regarding financial aid after submitting their fafsa?

double b

5:30p, 3/24/24

In reply to kyle field 94

kyle field 94 said:
Has anyone heard back from A&M regarding financial aid after submitting their fafsa?

I wouldn't expect anything soon. Two weeks ago, I heard they were processing applications submitted on January 8th. Then, late last week, DOE miscalculated a large of the applications. Overall, it's a mess.

Hundreds of thousands of financial aid applications need to be fixed after latest calculation error

aggie93

10:18a, 3/25/24

In reply to mccjames

mccjames said:
Filled it out freshman year and didn't do it again.

Way too much information for something I knew we would not qualify for. It really should not be used for Merit scholarships, imho.

This. There is no reason to make people do the FAFSA if they know they can't get need based aid. It's very intrusive with a lot of very private information that takes time to put together and when you know that you won't qualify it's frankly insulting. I fume the entire time I do it as we are in the zone of making too much to qualify but not enough to comfortably pay for college. We saved money but not nearly enough and that gets used AGAINST you.

Essentially the more you tried to be responsible the more you are penalized. Why should my wife going back to work a few years ago and us scraping to put away some money be a negative? Yet that's how the system works. We didn't always make decent money so we didn't have the ability to accumulate $250k in a fund to send 2 kids to school, this is a very sore subject for me.

Then after all that work every year you just get the "lol, nope" email with the $5500 loan if you want it that is a drop in the bucket paying for college and has all kinds of strings. Then you get to do it every year as a rinse and repeat. Then I still have to go take out private loans afterward.

In Texas they keep the rate for in state relatively high if you don't qualify for anything compared to other states and we don't have programs like they do in GA or FL that allow kids with good grades to get steep discounts. For most it is cheaper to go OOS to another school who will offer a ton of aid but A&M and Texas simply don't in spite of having the 2 largest Public Endowments in the country and significant Legislature support. Yet they make you fill out the FAFSA just to rub your nose in it every year.

My guess is they will fix this right after both my boys are out of school. Kind of like how my wife was a 1st Gen with parents that made next to nothing and didn't help at all with school and she had to take out loans, now she would have gone for free based on what her FAFSA would have been.

Anyway, I wish they would at least just let you click a box that says "I only wish to be considered for Merit Aid" and not have to fill out a FAFSA if they are going to have the system we have now.

"The most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

Ronald Reagan

dgb99

11:16a, 3/25/24

In reply to aggie93

Not enough blue stars for this post. I agree completely.

HDeathstar

1:24p, 3/25/24

You do NOT need to fill it out for Graduation. For graduation you need to fill it out OR complete an Exemption form.

Only downside I see is School and other scholarships may require that you complete one as a requirement to apply. That is the only benefit I see, is if you are going for scholarships. Everything else is data for the government to use.

We exempted out after I read a few of the questions.

Bonfire.1996

7:17a, 3/29/24

In reply to kyle field 94

kyle field 94 said:
Has anyone heard back from A&M regarding financial aid after submitting their fafsa?

ours was accepted this week. We are in aggie93's exact situation. I make too much to get anything. We've saved some but not enough. Thank the Lord for merit based aid and local scholarships.

AgGrad99

1:46p, 4/5/24

Quote:
Essentially the more you tried to be responsible the more you are penalized. Why should my wife going back to work a few years ago and us scraping to put away some money be a negative? Yet that's how the system works. We didn't always make decent money so we didn't have the ability to accumulate $250k in a fund to send 2 kids to school, this is a very sore subject for me.

Well said. I echo your sentiments.

And if I did make enough to put away 250k, I shouldn't be penalized. My kid should get what they earned. And others what they earned. End of discussion.

Another Doug

5:02p, 4/5/24

I was reading this and was thankful for the Aggie that cold called me after 1st kid's birth announcement was in the Aggie alumni magazine and helped set up our 529. Just looked him up, he pled guilty last year for ripping off clients and is facing 10 years in federal prison.

austinag1997

4:24p, 5/3/24

In reply to AgGrad99

AgGrad99 said:

Quote:
Essentially the more you tried to be responsible the more you are penalized. Why should my wife going back to work a few years ago and us scraping to put away some money be a negative? Yet that's how the system works. We didn't always make decent money so we didn't have the ability to accumulate $250k in a fund to send 2 kids to school, this is a very sore subject for me.
Well said. I echo your sentiments.

And if I did make enough to put away 250k, I shouldn't be penalized. My kid should get what they earned. And others what they earned. End of discussion.

Most folks are all in the same boat.

94chem

9:36a, 5/9/24

In reply to aggie93

aggie93 said:
mccjames said:
Filled it out freshman year and didn't do it again.

Way too much information for something I knew we would not qualify for. It really should not be used for Merit scholarships, imho.
This. There is no reason to make people do the FAFSA if they know they can't get need based aid. It's very intrusive with a lot of very private information that takes time to put together and when you know that you won't qualify it's frankly insulting. I fume the entire time I do it as we are in the zone of making too much to qualify but not enough to comfortably pay for college. We saved money but not nearly enough and that gets used AGAINST you.

Essentially the more you tried to be responsible the more you are penalized. Why should my wife going back to work a few years ago and us scraping to put away some money be a negative? Yet that's how the system works. We didn't always make decent money so we didn't have the ability to accumulate $250k in a fund to send 2 kids to school, this is a very sore subject for me.

Then after all that work every year you just get the "lol, nope" email with the $5500 loan if you want it that is a drop in the bucket paying for college and has all kinds of strings. Then you get to do it every year as a rinse and repeat. Then I still have to go take out private loans afterward.

In Texas they keep the rate for in state relatively high if you don't qualify for anything compared to other states and we don't have programs like they do in GA or FL that allow kids with good grades to get steep discounts. For most it is cheaper to go OOS to another school who will offer a ton of aid but A&M and Texas simply don't in spite of having the 2 largest Public Endowments in the country and significant Legislature support. Yet they make you fill out the FAFSA just to rub your nose in it every year.

My guess is they will fix this right after both my boys are out of school. Kind of like how my wife was a 1st Gen with parents that made next to nothing and didn't help at all with school and she had to take out loans, now she would have gone for free based on what her FAFSA would have been.

Anyway, I wish they would at least just let you click a box that says "I only wish to be considered for Merit Aid" and not have to fill out a FAFSA if they are going to have the system we have now.

Add to that the fact that the new FAFSA no longer considers siblings in college when determining aid. Tons of families lost a ton of aid this year. With 6 kids, and 3 family members in college, we would have been screwed if not for my kids' other forms of aid. And people wonder why birth rates are declining...

94chem,
That, sir, was the greatest post in the history of TexAgs. I salute you. -- Dough