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Do both are parents need to apply for a PIN to sign the application?
BaylorGuy said:I know that this question has somewhat been answered, but i just wanted to make sure.
1) The information we put in the FAFSA doesn't necessarily have to be 100% accurate correct? I just got one of my W2s and tried to fill out as much info as I could, but i haven't gotten the other one yet, but would it be ok for me to estimate the amount and go ahead and submit it??
2). I know we dont have to fill our parental information since we are all considered independents, but if we choose to do so, can we estimate those values as well (considering my parents are most probably going to wait till the last minute)??
I may have questions later, but my brain is full of financial/tax junk....i dont know how CPAs could do this all day long
No. Only if you want your parents to have access to your FAFSA (like, if they are filling out the information for you).abcd1234 said:Do both are parents need to apply for a PIN to sign the application?
Yes, you have to fill out all the parent info if you want to be considered for institutional aid. Need-based scholarships vary by school, so if you fill out your parental info, you have a chance. If you don't, you won't.justskipee said:Ok, so I get that I should fill out the FAFSA and not include my parental information because I am considered independent by the gov't. So I can get stafford and potentially perkins loans. But when medical schools determine your eligibility for university aid and scholarships do they care about your parents income and savings? If they do, what parental info will I have to submit. My parents will not be paying for my medical school education, so when a scholarship is need based, will I have a chance?
This is so confusing to me. thanks.
NapeSpikes said:Yes, you have to fill out all the parent info if you want to be considered for institutional aid. Need-based scholarships vary by school, so if you fill out your parental info, you have a chance. If you don't, you won't.
Looks like you have to answer the question. They just want to get an idea how much your parents helped you out, or if they're able to help you. Dollar amount followed by description sounds good. If it's none, put none.justskipee said:PARENT INFORMATION: (This must be completed to be considered for scholarships/grants based on exceptional financial need and/or special circumstances.) Parent contribution not reported on FAFSA _________
(i.e., tuition, car repairs, car insurance, food, cash allowance, rent assistance) Please explain: _______________________________________
Am I suppossed to put a dollar amount and then explain? Any ideas?
NapeSpikes said:Looks like you have to answer the question. They just want to get an idea how much your parents helped you out, or if they're able to help you. Dollar amount followed by description sounds good. If it's none, put none.
I don't see how filling out the fafsa before an acceptance would hurt your chances.qui1027 said:does it hurt your chances to list a school in the FAFSA form prior to knowing whether or not you got into the school?
I talked to one of the accountants at my job, and she told me that since I made only $5000 for 2005, I did not have to fill out any tax forms because the minimum to file for taxes is approximately $7,900. She told me to put exempt for all of my work information. Is anyone in the same boat as me? What did you do when you were filling out your information? Will the gov't and the schools give me less aid since I am leaving those spaces blank? Thanks 🙂
NapeSpikes said:Yes, you have to fill out all the parent info if you want to be considered for institutional aid. Need-based scholarships vary by school, so if you fill out your parental info, you have a chance. If you don't, you won't.
I'm not sure if that's true, because we HAVE to file as independent. As med students, we would be considered independent, whether you include parental info or not. Parental info is used to determine eligibility for institutional need-based aid, and has no effect on federal aid (for med students).Freakedout said:As I understand it, in order to get perkins you cannot file as an independent.
NapeSpikes said:I'm not sure if that's true, because we HAVE to file as independent. As med students, we would be considered independent, whether you include parental info or not. Parental info is used to determine eligibility for institutional need-based aid, and has no effect on federal aid (for med students).
Freakedout said:Actually when I was on the interview trail, I was informed infact multiple times, that we don't have to file as independents. However if we do then we cannot be considered for certain subsizide loans (perkins). So in order to be considered for such loans you have to file as dependents and include the parental information.
Freakedout said:Cool. Thanks for clearing things out.
So then the only benefits of adding parental info would be to be considered for school based aid? I am just curious as I havn't worked in the past year so as an independent I would have no income. 😕
I was told by the Financial Aid office at Iowa to fill mine out ASAP to have first consideration for all loans. You can always fill out an "update" form with your 2005 income when you get all your W2's.Marcel2000 said:How fast do grant money and Perkins loans funds go? By when should one file their FAFSA to have a reasonable chance at these funds?
tigress said:I found out from one school I've been accepted to that you cannot receive any aid, including merit or other non-need-based scholarships, without parental info. So I'm going to have to put it after all.
tigress said:I haven't even gotten my W2 yet, which is annoying. I can't really fill out the FAFSA without that info, and I wouldn't even know where to begin to estimate my parental info. I hope I can get it done in the next few weeks.
I found out from one school I've been accepted to that you cannot receive any aid, including merit or other non-need-based scholarships, without parental info. So I'm going to have to put it after all.
I'm very annoyed with my job for not getting me my W2. I wonder how I can find out when I'll get it.
Freakedout said:As I understand it, in order to get perkins you cannot file as an independent.
BaylorGuy said:I think you aer right on this one....Perkins as i understand it is only an undergraduate federal loan, it doesn't apply to graduate work.
My friend matriculated into a grad school this past year and was looking up all the info about this. She was looking at the Perkins loan and was told it is only for undergrad work (i think only for your 1st bachelors too).
xTiggerx said:So I emailed the admissions office at AECOM about finaid and I asked if I had to do my FAFSA asap and they emailed me back and said that they will be sending out financial aid information at the end of Feb and that there was no need for me to do the FAFSA at this time... all I needed to do was the complete my tax return and have my parents' info as well. Now... I'm REALLy confused as to whether or not I need to do this fafsa stuff yet 😕
Well, i guess i have to wait a little still since i dont have my tax stuff ready yet... any thoughts?
tigress said:February is still really early to file FAFSA. Don't worry about it guys. I'll probably file in February after filing taxes (I found out today that my W2s get mailed on January 31st). Actually, early March is still plenty early.
And yes, file FAFSA for schools where you are waitlisted. If you get off the waitlist in the summer and decide to go there, you'll need to have the financial info already in.
OSUdoc08 said:Yeah you can. I've done it for 7 years now.
TracksuitsRock said:I know this is a neverending question and maybe I'm just fueling the fire, but I would actually check with your individual schools (at least the ones you are most likely to attend). I checked with a couple of mine, and while one of them said don't worry about filling it out yet, another school strongly advised me to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible with estimated numbers because of the way financial aid works at their school. So I think while in general it may be OK to wait, better safe than sorry..I know I'm glad I asked.
tigress said:February is still really early to file FAFSA. Don't worry about it guys. I'll probably file in February after filing taxes (I found out today that my W2s get mailed on January 31st). Actually, early March is still plenty early.
And yes, file FAFSA for schools where you are waitlisted. If you get off the waitlist in the summer and decide to go there, you'll need to have the financial info already in.
BerkeleyMD said:Is it a bad idea to add schools you are on hold for pre-interview??
I have 1 acceptance, 3 waitlists and a whole bunch of cali schools I want to go to, but haven't interviewed at.
What should I do??
tigress said:It can't hurt to add them to FAFSA up to however many schools you are allowed to add. Of course, not to sound harsh, but it's really unlikely you'll get interviews this late. 🙁
NYMed said:Yeah, I called AECOM and they told me the same thing. In fact, they ask you NOT to file the FAFSA until you file your taxes; they don't want people estimating. Since right now AECOM looks like my first choice, I'm just going to wait filing it for the other schools until end of Feb, when I'll file it for AECOM, so that I don't have to do it more than once. Anyone else doing that?
Also, should we be filing the FAFSA for schools where we are waitlisted?
gdbaby said:Does anyone know how long it takes schools to get your info from the government? My FAFSA was complete and processed last week, but Iowa still doesn't have it. I am not worried about it, just curious.
TracksuitsRock said:I know this is a neverending question and maybe I'm just fueling the fire, but I would actually check with your individual schools (at least the ones you are most likely to attend). I checked with a couple of mine, and while one of them said don't worry about filling it out yet, another school strongly advised me to fill out the FAFSA as soon as possible with estimated numbers because of the way financial aid works at their school. So I think while in general it may be OK to wait, better safe than sorry..I know I'm glad I asked.
JustBreathe said:First of all, I'm sorry if this is a dumb question. I've never filed the FAFSA before so I'm kind of lost. What I want to know is, do I have to report scholarships/grants that I received from my school somewhere on the FAFSA, like as a form of income? I'm on a full-ride, so I have lots of them.. Thanks for your help.
monimoni said:Hey everyone,
Yeah, I have the same question... as an independent, 1) do you have to report scholarships as part of your income, and 2) do you have to report money given to you by a family member for living expenses (from parents or siblings) as part of your income? Does the same go for filing taxes? Thanks for all your help- this stuff is kind of confusing to newcomers.
registered user said:I have the same two questions as you. Hopefully someone can give us an answer.
monimoni said:Hey everyone,
Yeah, I have the same question... as an independent, 1) do you have to report scholarships as part of your income, and 2) do you have to report money given to you by a family member for living expenses (from parents or siblings) as part of your income? Does the same go for filing taxes? Thanks for all your help- this stuff is kind of confusing to newcomers.
habanero said:I'm very fortunate and have parents who will pay my tuition through medical school as well as cover the majority of my living expenses until I am finished. I have also saved enough money so that I don't expect to need to get any kind of loans during the next 4 years.
What I'm wondering is if there is any reason for me to fill out the FAFSA given these circumstances. Basically, I'm only interested in grants and scholarships that don't require repayment. Are there any such scholarships that would require a FAFSA to process? thanks.