FAFSA and Parental Income

[akmedman]

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Hi I know this topic has been discussed but I wanted to clarify my understanding:

I am planning on attending a state school and have been told me that I do not need to include my parental information on FAFSA unless I think I am eligible for need-based aid.

Can including parental information "harm" me in any kind of way? Do schools use this to determine students for scholarships? Since my parents have a decent income I felt it might be best not to include it in my FAFSA, however, there are no cutoffs listed so I wasn't sure.

Thanks in advance!

 

[TMP-SMX]

It can't hurt you and yes some schools require parental info in order to be eligible for scholarships. Why don't you ask your financial aid office? It's highly unlikely you will be eligible for anything anyway so don't worry about it.

 

[akmedman]

I did call the financial aid office, and she said to only include it for need-based aid. She wasn't able to provide any specifics in terms of numbers.