FAFSA for 2017 - 2018 open

Have you completed your FAFSA 2017 - 2018


  • Total voters
    9

KeyzCat

Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2015
Messages
250
This year is the first year that application opened on October 1st. Instead of current year financials, which forces many to wait or use estimates, this year will now use year prior . This year you will use your 2015 income.
If you have a substantial income difference since 2015 you can give that information to the school who then have ability to make an update to allow for higher awards.
Those on ROTC contracted award are not eligible to get PELL but there are many other school based and other awards that require you to have completed the FAFSA.
If you did FAFSA for 2016- 2017 super easy you can open your 2016 application and just put in the numbers again. Saves the having to pull out the Tax returns again will only have to adjust your current assets amount if different from last year.
 
We did ours for two kids in about 10 minutes. Super easy using all the IRS info. through that Data Retrieval Tool that populates it automatically. (I feel like it was too easy and I may have made a mistake)
 
We did ours for two kids in about 10 minutes. Super easy using all the IRS info. through that Data Retrieval Tool that populates it automatically. (I feel like it was too easy and I may have made a mistake)

It is easy, absolutely! I spent about a half an hour doing 3 last night! I got a "red box warning" questioning if I really meant to change my daughter's information from 1 college student in the household to 3 (twins), it thought I made a mistake! It actually will make a difference for one of our twins who does not have her school covered completely by scholarships, because, she only gets credit for 1/3 of what our family can contribute (EFC), which means she will at least get subsidized loans, and it also allows them to get merit money, so it is all good!
 
It is easy, absolutely! I spent about a half an hour doing 3 last night! I got a "red box warning" questioning if I really meant to change my daughter's information from 1 college student in the household to 3 (twins), it thought I made a mistake! It actually will make a difference for one of our twins who does not have her school covered completely by scholarships, because, she only gets credit for 1/3 of what our family can contribute (EFC), which means she will at least get subsidized loans, and it also allows them to get merit money, so it is all good!
I knew it was too easy! After I wrote that I went back and looked and I totally forgot to put down our 529 accounts as assets! Oops. Good thing you can do corrections. I did this last year, I was just a little careless the second time around.
 
Merit is academic. FAFSA has no impact. Or at least it had no impact for my kids.
Many schools require a FAFSA to be on file to be eligible for campus based merit scholarships, at least the schools effecting my kids, but it might not be across the board. It has no bearing on the award, that is true, but just a requirement for eligibility.
 
Merit is academic. FAFSA has no impact. Or at least it had no impact for my kids.
Most colleges require the FAFSA even for Merit based part of it might be the making sure are registered foe Draft. Female students will soon have that requirement as well. If under 18 choose not registered and gives option to auto register and covers that registration requirement. Sometimes will still have to remind the school that need to look at the application to see that the auto register is selected and student is supposed to be waivered at school level while under 18.
 
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