Filed as independent through FAFSA?

[Chelonia]

So I recently submitted my FAFSA to hopefully get medical school scholarships, loans and etc. I was not able to enter parental information because FAFSA classified me as "independent" even though I still receive financial support from my family and will continue to receive some level of support from them throughout medical school. I remember in some of the financial aid talks during interview day, that medical schools expect you to provide parental information in order to receive institutional scholarships.My question is, have I counted myself out for institutional aid by filing as an independent? If so, I am confused because FAFSA classified me as such given the family info I provided, and I don't see how I could have changed this unless I had lied/changed my family infoMoreover, am I allowed to change this info in FAFSA? I tried logging on today and it said "processing" and the only clickable link was "duplicate PIN" so hopefully it will let me change things once it is processed

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[darkjedi]

FAFSA is only for federal loans, but since you are applying to grad school, you don't need parental information. In all liklihood you will qualify for the maximum limit on Stafford/GradPLUS loans regardless.

To get scholarships/grants/institutional loans, you will need your parental information and submit it to the school you intent to matriculate to through another service, and they will decide how much they can give you.

 

[Ismet]

So I recently submitted my FAFSA to hopefully get medical school scholarships, loans and etc. I was not able to enter parental information because FAFSA classified me as "independent" even though I still receive financial support from my family and will continue to receive some level of support from them throughout medical school. I remember in some of the financial aid talks during interview day, that medical schools expect you to provide parental information in order to receive institutional scholarships.My question is, have I counted myself out for institutional aid by filing as an independent? If so, I am confused because FAFSA classified me as such given the family info I provided, and I don't see how I could have changed this unless I had lied/changed my family infoMoreover, am I allowed to change this info in FAFSA? I tried logging on today and it said "processing" and the only clickable link was "duplicate PIN" so hopefully it will let me change things once it is processed

You can still list parent information even if you are classified as an independent, and you have to do so if you want to be considered for need-based aid from your school. There's a part of the application that asks you if you want to add parent information.

 

[Ismet]

To get scholarships/grants/institutional loans, you will need your parental information and submit it to the school you intent to matriculate to through another service, and they will decide how much they can give you.

What is this other service you're referring to? Maybe it's just school-specific for your school? My school just uses FAFSA, and pretty sure that's why most schools recommend/require you to enter parent information on FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based aid.

 

[monkeyfeet]

So I recently submitted my FAFSA to hopefully get medical school scholarships, loans and etc. I was not able to enter parental information because FAFSA classified me as "independent" even though I still receive financial support from my family and will continue to receive some level of support from them throughout medical school. I remember in some of the financial aid talks during interview day, that medical schools expect you to provide parental information in order to receive institutional scholarships.My question is, have I counted myself out for institutional aid by filing as an independent? If so, I am confused because FAFSA classified me as such given the family info I provided, and I don't see how I could have changed this unless I had lied/changed my family infoMoreover, am I allowed to change this info in FAFSA? I tried logging on today and it said "processing" and the only clickable link was "duplicate PIN" so hopefully it will let me change things once it is processed

On the dependency determination screen, under where it says you're classified as "independent," there should be an option that says "Do you want to answer questions about your parents?" If you check "yes," you should be able to enter their info on the next screen. Once your application has been processed, there should be a "Make FAFSA corrections" option on your home screen, so I'm guessing you can probably change it though I don't know for sure.

 

[Chelonia]

Ok, thanks! I must have not seen the option to add parental information and I will have to add it in once my FAFSA is processed. I will try calling the FAFSA hotline on Monday to see if that is possible. The website says you should be able to change anything on your FAFSA except your SSN, so hopefully that is the case.

 

[knv2u]

If you are over 24 or have a bachelor's degree, you're automatically labeled as an independent student for purposes of federal financial aid. Parent information is not required, but when I did my FAFSA, I was given the opportunity to enter this data. Institutional aid is a whole different animal and obviously depends on the school.

 

[knv2u]

Ok, thanks! I must have not seen the option to add parental information and I will have to add it in once my FAFSA is processed. I will try calling the FAFSA hotline on Monday to see if that is possible. The website says you should be able to change anything on your FAFSA except your SSN, so hopefully that is the case.

What would be the benefits of adding parent data and amending your FAFSA? I don't think there are any.

Edited to add: Even if you are applying for institutional aid, I wouldn't think the FAFSA would need to be amended to include parent data. Rather, the school likely has its own forms, etc.

 

[lovemango]

What would be the benefits of adding parent data and amending your FAFSA? I don't think there are any.

Edited to add: Even if you are applying for institutional aid, I wouldn't think the FAFSA would need to be amended to include parent data. Rather, the school likely has its own forms, etc.

Depends on the school, but a lot of times it's easier to just include parent info on FAFSA than sending in separate documents.

 

[chenzt]

What is this other service you're referring to? Maybe it's just school-specific for your school? My school just uses FAFSA, and pretty sure that's why most schools recommend/require you to enter parent information on FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based aid.

I believe some schools ask for the CSS profile.

 

[darkjedi]

What is this other service you're referring to? Maybe it's just school-specific for your school? My school just uses FAFSA, and pretty sure that's why most schools recommend/require you to enter parent information on FAFSA in order to be considered for need-based aid.

Oh interesting, I was referring to NeedAccess, which I had to submit for 3 of the 5 schools I interviewed at, including the one I ultimately matriculated into. The needaccess forms were significantly more indepth regarding your family's financial history than the FAFSA was. I filed as independent for FAFSA in minutes but spent hours trying to collect information and fill out the needaccess forms because they were so lengthy. I only needed to fill it out before matriculating so that I could qualify for institutional aid, and now only need to file the FAFSA annually for federal loans.

It is clear that it depends on your school, so definitely check with the school's financial aid office for specifics.

 

[DR MOM]

You should contact the schools and ask what forms they are looking for. Most schools told me to only list myself on the FAFSA (since I am independent) but to list myself and my parents on the NeedAccess to be eligible for institutional aid.