Fafsa

[clockitnow]

Do MSTP applicants have to fill out a FAFSA? I was told by the UCSF financial aid presenter that we should. Other schools have said no (I haven't religiously asked every school that I visited). Is this just in case you might go to an MD only program?

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[BDavis]

Do MSTP applicants have to fill out a FAFSA? I was told by the UCSF financial aid presenter that we should. Other schools have said no (I haven't religiously asked every school that I visited). Is this just in case you might go to an MD only program?

Filling out a FAFSA early is good to do just in case

1) You enroll in a MD only program
2) You find that the MSTP stipend is not enough to live on (which may be the case for UCSF, I don't really know; you should ask some of the currently enrolled students)
3) Just having some extra money in your bank account for emergencies

Furthermore if you apply early for financial aid once you decide the school that you will go to, all you need to do is give the school the completed FAFSA with your tax form and they can get started right away on figuring out your eligibility (and you can be in the first cycle of processing that gets their loan awars first).

 

[Habari]

i didn't, and don't know anyone who did. if you think you'll consider an md-only program, then it is a good idea. otherwise i wouldn't bother.

 

[Vader]

I didn't fill out FAFSA either.

At UCSF, the stipend ($24,500) is plenty to live on (for most people). Of course it really depends on your lifestyle--don't expect to afford that brand new Ferrari with the MSTP stipend as your sole source of income.

 

[Neuronix]

I did and I took out the stafford sub loans here. I think I'm the only MD/PhD in my year to do so. Part of it was that I started the program in debt and I have no parental support to buy things like furniture, put down a deposit on an apartment, etc... I got into a lab the summer before I started so I could actually make some money also to get going. Now that I'm actually established, I use the stafford sub loans as a nice cushion. I do vacation, drink, eat, and just probably have fun more than alot of people in my program

Then again, now that we're making $25,000/yr state/local tax exempt, I'm not even sure what to do with all that money

 

[DrYo12]

Some schools will ask you to fill out the FAFSA because the funds that the MD/PhD $$ is derived is often dependent on certain factors. For example, if the university is funding you through some sort of grants that are specific to people from a certain area or an endowment that can only go to people with documented "need", then the FAFSA basically allows them to better allocate money to you.