Parents info for FAFSA

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surferdud

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Do you guys know if people over 24 (considered independent) need to fill out their parents income on FAFSA? I heard different things at different schools...is it perhaps school dependent?
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All the schools I interviewed at wanted parent information no matter what.
 
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It doesn't matter how old you are or if you're dependent/independent, as long as you're applying to health profession schools, you need to include parents' info on FAFSA. 🙂
 
To reiterate the above, yes, you need parents' info on the FAFSA. You can omit it if you know that your parents make too much money for you to get any institutional loans.
 
I'd call the school(s) financial aid office(s). At my school, they told me that parents' info would only be needed if I were applying for some kind of disadvantaged status--in other words, most people don't have to submit parents' information.

Point being: I'd just call and ask.
 
After age 26 you don't have to submit your parents' information if I'm not mistaken..
 
Good thing my parents make under 30K combined.

..wait.
 
Some bad info posted so far. Here comes truth:

MUST it be on your FAFSA under all circumstances? No.

On supplemental materials that are in regards to financial aid, institution-specific, yet seperate from FAFSA? Yes.

Can the school request your parents info be on the FAFSA in conjunction with filling out said forms? Yes.

Can you choose to not send in said forms because you are old / don't speak with parents / parents are *******s / whatever? Yes.

Can that bar you from receiving institutional aid such as scholarships? Yes, and most of the time it does.

Will omitting parents information from your FAFSA omit you from calculating an EFC, submitting, and subsequently receiving Federal Aid? No.

Keep in mind that Federal Aid is, at the med school level, almost exclusively loans. Stafford subsidized and unsubsidized.
 
Lots of craziness being spewed here.

You don't have to submit your parents' info. At many (if not most) schools, failure to do so will render you ineligible for school-specific grants/aid, leaving you with just Federal aid.

There are some supplemental non-FAFSA forms that some schools require that will explicitly require parents' info.

And as always, checking with the schools >>> most information from pre-allo
 
To OP:

Are you talking about med schools of undergrad?

If it's the latter, I'm a non-trad and barely missed the cutoff for independent status, even though I've been financially independent for a few years now. Still, I'm only 23.

24+, married, kids, and/or grad school = independent filing status. No need to submit parental info.

If it's the former, that's a different situation.
 
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Ok2Panic said:
You don't have to submit your parents' info. At many (if not most) schools, failure to do so will render you ineligible for school-specific grants/aid, leaving you with just Federal aid.

There are some supplemental non-FAFSA forms that some schools require that will explicitly require parents' info.

And as always, checking with the schools >>> most information from pre-allo
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+1. Pretty much mandatory (by the schools themselves) if you want to be considered for institutional aid and other non-federal sources of aid.
 
I was referring to med school FAFSA, thanks for following up though. Just an update...called two schools I was accepted at, both said you didn't have to, but if you wanted to be considered for institutional aid, it was necessary. So you guys are correct, thanks for your feedback!
 
Check with each school's financial aid office. Some schools require parental info. I'm 29 and the school I have been admitted to (OHSU) says that they don't need it for me and that it would only be used to determine eligibility for certain DHHS grants. However, OHSU won't know if they have received said grants until the fall, at which time they will let me know if I qualify and if I need to provide parents info at that time. (which incidentally I find the whole providing parental income info odd since I haven't lived with the 'rents or received support since I was 18...God love 'em and all).

BOTTOM LINE: call the school and talk to the financial aid office if you are >26/independent.

HOWEVER, get on it NOW. Some school's priority Fin Aid deadlines for FAFSA filing are March 1...after which you aren't guaranteed aid.
 
So much for schools trying to help out people from diverse backgrounds. Seems that you need to have some sort of cookie-cutter family situation. People who are separated from their biological relatives are pretty much screwed when it comes to institutional/non-fed money. I wonder if people who have dead parents also get the shaft. "You're parents are dead? Hah! No institutional money for you!" 🙄 I feel sorry for the people that were abused and chose to walk away from their parent(s), only to be punished for that later on down the line. Pathetic.
 
stevo111 said:
What??
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Sorry, basically what I was trying to say is that if your parents are crazy rich there's no need to waste time filling out their info on the AMCAS if you know you won't get anything anyway.
 
rhesuspieces said:
Sorry, basically what I was trying to say is that if your parents are crazy rich there's no need to waste time filling out their info on the AMCAS if you know you won't get anything anyway.
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Um, can you please define what you mean by "crazy-rich"? like over 100K a year?
 
What if your parents are rich but won't help you with the cost? Would you get institutional loans then?
 
For those saying that you must submit information for both parents or else you will be ineligible for institutional aid, what if there is absolutely no way to get that information? As in, the parent in question is a dead-beat drug addict who is not consistently involved with your life, has not filed taxes since the 1990s, etc? I know that, for undergrad, I had to e-mail the school, fill out some forms and/or send in a letter and was able to get a waiver. Do medical schools do this as well?
 
ILikeDrugs said:
So much for schools trying to help out people from diverse backgrounds. Seems that you need to have some sort of cookie-cutter family situation. People who are separated from their biological relatives are pretty much screwed when it comes to institutional/non-fed money. I wonder if people who have dead parents also get the shaft. "You're parents are dead? Hah! No institutional money for you!" 🙄 I feel sorry for the people that were abused and chose to walk away from their parent(s), only to be punished for that later on down the line. Pathetic.
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Are you insane? If your parents are deceased you can put that on your application... Don't open your mouth if you only have garbage coming out of it.
 
Starlightembers said:
For those saying that you must submit information for both parents or else you will be ineligible for institutional aid, what if there is absolutely no way to get that information? As in, the parent in question is a dead-beat drug addict who is not consistently involved with your life, has not filed taxes since the 1990s, etc? I know that, for undergrad, I had to e-mail the school, fill out some forms and/or send in a letter and was able to get a waiver. Do medical schools do this as well?
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Once you get into medical school....call the specific school an ask.

Every school is different, but as a rule yes there is a way around the policy if you can document why parent info is impossible to get.
 
24? Might as well still be breastfeeding, as far as med school financial aid is concerned.
 
Slightly unrelated random question:

Does financial aid office looks at your MD application while deciding your loan package? I didn't apply as underserved or disadvantaged.
 
percy said:
24? Might as well still be breastfeeding, as far as med school financial aid is concerned.
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24 and married for 4 years? Left parents home at 17, and took all of my expenses with me. I'd feel really silly asking my parents for financial info.

That said, I am trying to get in touch with the financial aid office at the schools.
 
Wermz said:
All the schools I interviewed at wanted parent information no matter what.
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I will be damned. I saw my dad for only a few times in my life. I don't even know if he's still alive.
 
Wasn't parents information optional on the AMCAS?

FAFSA doesn't require parents information. I omitted mine.
 
Yes, it was on the AMCAS, but in generic terms. It did not ask for specific, tax-return like numbers.
 
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Isoprop said:
Wasn't parents information optional on the AMCAS?

FAFSA doesn't require parents information. I omitted mine.
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FAFSA itself doesn't REQUIRE that you input that information, however most schools do require that you include it if you want to be eligible for institutional aid.
 
wsaedalney said:
24 and married for 4 years? Left parents home at 17, and took all of my expenses with me. I'd feel really silly asking my parents for financial info.
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Don't kill the messenger!

That said, I'm not really sure what kind of response you're looking for. I am, in some ways, further along that spectrum, and I think it's fair enough (and necessary, for the schools I've applied to) to provide parental info.

It's not what I'd consider a good time, but I don't feel weird asking the rents for their info. Then again, I also meow at people on the subway.
 
I never had to provide parental information, unless it was to try to get institutional scholarships. When I asked my parents for their information they straight up refused (and I would too if my 28 year old son asked me for that).
 
percy said:
Don't kill the messenger!

That said, I'm not really sure what kind of response you're looking for. I am, in some ways, further along that spectrum, and I think it's fair enough (and necessary, for the schools I've applied to) to provide parental info.
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It is just a curious thing for me. That's all. I can surely get this info, I will just feel funny calling my parents to find out how much they make, etc. I have not cared about this info for 5 years or so.

I do fail to see the necessity, other than perhaps the argument being that some parents might still financially support a wed child.
 
wsaedalney said:
I do fail to see the necessity, other than perhaps the argument being that some parents might still financially support a wed child.
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I mean, considering that the median family income of matriculants is a six-digit figure, medical schools expect that this will be the case for most families. It's a resource some have, and others don't.

I'm not sure being married necessarily changes much; it just adds a new set of numbers to the equation.
 
wsaedalney said:
It is just a curious thing for me. That's all. I can surely get this info, I will just feel funny calling my parents to find out how much they make, etc. I have not cared about this info for 5 years or so.

I do fail to see the necessity, other than perhaps the argument being that some parents might still financially support a wed child.
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Like I and others said, this isnt necessary for the fafsa, just for institutional aid.
 
I assumed most (all?) married couples were financially independent and responsible for their own debts/expenses. It is interesting to me that there would still be contributions from families.

That is a nice benefit though. Maybe I'm coming from a position of sour grapes!
 
wsaedalney said:
I assumed most (all?) married couples were financially independent and responsible for their own debts/expenses. It is interesting to me that there would still be contributions from families.

That is a nice benefit though. Maybe I'm coming from a position of sour grapes!
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I think it is more interesting that schools seem to assume that your parents WILL contribute even if you are married/independent.
 
wsaedalney said:
I assumed most (all?) married couples were financially independent and responsible for their own debts/expenses. It is interesting to me that there would still be contributions from families.
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For what it's worth, I often find the opposite is true.
 
I recently contacted my state school and they told me that unless my parents made <30K a year and I was a URM, there was no way I was getting any grant/scholarship money. Hence, they said I don't need my parent info and 99% of ppl getting finaid from that school didn't give their parent info and are receiving ALL LOANS to pay for med school. So it seems school dependent...are any other ppl's state's schools saying the same thing? I'd assume that the situation at private schools like Uchicago (NickNaylor can obviously attest to this) they give more grant aid/scholarships for tuition, etc. Im just wondering if I'd be getting better finaid at schools that DO require parent info? The most recent school I interviewed at required parental info not in the FAFSA, but in needaccess.org. My state school doesn't require needaccess.org.
 
NickNaylor said:
FAFSA itself doesn't REQUIRE that you input that information, however most schools do require that you include it if you want to be eligible for institutional aid.
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Hmm. I guess my school didn't care.
 
On the topic of FAFSA, is it recommended to fill out the form by March 1 even if you aren't accepted to any schools you have interviewed with yet? I believe you can enter several schools if a decision has not been made, but what if you don't get in...and you decide to go with a master's program which has accepted you. Would that wreck you chances with getting a loan for that program?
 
ABQ9988 said:
On the topic of FAFSA, is it recommended to fill out the form by March 1 even if you aren't accepted to any schools you have interviewed with yet? I believe you can enter several schools if a decision has not been made, but what if you don't get in...and you decide to go with a master's program which has accepted you. Would that wreck you chances with getting a loan for that program?
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Most schools that I interviewed at encouraged applicants to fill out and submit the FAFSA to them regardless of their current status so that, if they are eventually accepted, there's a minimal delay in making the financial aid package.
 
Does anyone know if you are supposed to fill out the institutional forms that many schools have if you are not yet accepted (waiting to hear back or waitlisted)? Some have deadlines that are the same as their FAFSA deadline. I assume they waive those deadlines if you are accepted later on and let you fill them out at that point.
 
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