Yeah, if you're in college and you didn't fill out a FAFSA, then you shouldn't be in college.

Yea I filled out my FAFSA every year and I still have well over $100k in loans.

A few more things:
1) Many colleges require the FAFSA to give you any type of aid. The FAFSA opens you up to subsidized (low-interest loans) and other types of financial aid that a college many be able to provide (from their own resources, etc.)
2) You never have to pay to fill out the FAFSA. It is easy to do it yourself. Never pay any of those online services that say they will do it for you.
3) In line with number 2, make sure that when you fill out the FAFSA online, you are at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You are putting a lot of personal information down and you want to make sure that it doesn't get stolen.

Grants + a job that gives you tuition reimbursement and you have a real deal.

Just filled out one for my wife. Apparently we make too much money to get her a Pell grant. That's odd because we don't have enough money to send her to school.

Yea, I filled out my FASFA every year but since my parents made too much money, only qualified for the private loans.

FAFSA was central to me being able to take out enough loans to go to college. Unfortunately, the criteria for grants is far stricter, and far more arbitrary.

Case in point: even though I came from a lower middle class home (combined income less than 80k/year), and even though my parents couldn't afford to send me to college, I was still denied grants. A friend of mine in a similar income bracket floated his entire way through on grants, however.

The difference? His parents were divorced.

Both had since remarried, but it was the divorce that qualified him for the grants. So I had to take loans out because my parents had decided to stay together.

So basically, don't assume you'll get any grants whatsoever, unless you fall into a very specific category that the government has defined, even outside the realm of logic.

with a couple scholarships and a pell grant each semester, I made money going to school. Why did I ever leave?

@solareclipse2:

Maybe that is an indication your living beyond your means. Consider selling that 3rd car, downsizing your mcMansion, or going out to eat multiple times a week.

I qualified for a small Pell grant last year, but nothing this year. My parents actually made LESS money in '08. Arbitrary indeed.

@JediJohn82: Yeah...no. I filled out a FAFSA for myself and since I'm considered an independent student, the only income that gets recorded is my own.

I make less than 13k a year because I work part time and go to school full time, but the FAFSA still indicated I made too much money to qualify for a grant.

When I was an undergrad, the estimated family contribution was 20k more than my actual tuition, despite the fact that my parents didn't have that sort of money on hand to give me (only debt was a morgage + 2 car payments on 80k a year). Maybe over the course of a semester they could have helped out, but my college requires you to have at least 50% of your tuition paid upfront, which there was no way my parents were going to be able to do on top of what they were already paying for my brother (which the FAFSA doesn't take into account).

The FAFSA is broken, plain and simple.

@libbybee: FAFSA works just fine - it's what happens to the data you put in that's broken.

@LiC: Hmm, I've never filled out a FAFSA and am currently working on my doctorate. All paid for by private loans ranging between 2.25% and 3.25%.

@JediJohn82: @elocanth:

I feel for you, but I've got news for you-- $80,000/year family income is not "lower" middle class. Not even close. That level of income puts your family in the top 25% of earners in the US. I'm not saying it makes college any easier to pay for, or the system right, but the figures speak for themselves: 80K is no longer the "middle," let alone the lower part of it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Household_income_in_the_United_States

@kduhtoe:

Than you're honestly doing it wrong. You probably left some free money on the table at some point.

I filled out the FAFSA every year and was only awarded a Pell grant my first year of college. The dept. of education simply is not awarding them like they used to.

And I met the "financial hardship" criteria every year of college. Still no grants for me.

@jswilson64:

That's a weird way of saying you think the correct people are getting free financial aid to go to school?

Because they probably aren't. I was under the impression that I should have received more than a 'good luck' based on my 0 (ZERO) contribution from parents, but that wasn't the case.
Now I'm going back to grad school and all I can get is high interest loans despite still being buried in debt from undergrand.
The FAFSA is broken insomuch that the system is not dispersing the money in a seemingly logical manner.

Just a few words of caution:

Try to fill it all out in one go if you are using the FAFSA website. Bringing it back up after saving can sometimes take a good 20 minutes even if you enter all your login information correctly.

Make sure you are filling out the 2009-2010 FAFSA. The site may direct you to the 2008-2009 form at any time, so watch out for that.

Say "yes" to work-study programs. You will not be eligible for any money at all if you do not say yes.

Fill in ALL boxes about income. If a box does not apply to you, just type in "0" rather than leaving it blank.

Expect to get nothing. FAFSA doesn't seem to take regional variations in income levels and costs of living into account.

My pell grants for last year didn't cover all my base costs(tuition and books) because I was still considered out of state. THis year I'll be considered IN STATE which should cover all my costs. They also increased my Pell grant by about $3000 since I made much less money last year going to school full time. I'm still taking out student loans to augment my part time job, but it's much less than if I had to cover school costs fully with just student loans.

Like someone above said, if you're not at least filling out a FAFSA to go to college, maybe you shouldn't be going! It's so easy...

@kduhtoe: Well then you probably shouldn't be in college. The government has these programs in place to offer people money towards their college education. If you're willing to throw that money away, then don't bother finishing your doctorate.

@hewhoroams: As several people have mentioned, if your family is middle class (combined income < or ~$80K and married), you will probably will not qualify for grants.

@tjfraz1: Stop buying colleges.

@JediJohn82: Wrong.

FAFSA's calculations tend to take income and think that you and/or your parents don't spend money on anything except for college expenses and the bare minimum required to stay fed/clothed/sheltered.

Their calculations said that my parents would be able to fork over about 30% of their income for my college and so I didn't qualify for Pell grants or federal workstudy. Never mind that my parents (at the time) have a mortgage to pay for and two other kids to support besides me.

So it's not that people who can't qualify are necessarily living beyond their means, it's because the calculations are borked at times.

Pell grants are great if you qualify, most people don't. BUT Stafford loans are a great low cost alternative, most people qualify for a combination of subsidized and unsubsidized loans. The subsidized loans have their interest paid by the government while you are a student, but both loans are very low rates and generally qualify for loan re-payment programs if you work for a state/federal government. one of the best features though is that they are fixed rate loans. even if you don't qualify for unsubsidized everyone qualifies for a regular Stafford

@libbybee: I made less than $13k and go to school fulltime also and I qualified for a couple of grants, wonder how that worked out.

Pell Grants are the best deal ever for the government! If someone goes to a state school on a Pell Grant for a few thousand, the government has a higher income tax payer for life and will recoup its outlay many, many, many times over. I would have never gone to college without Pell Grants, and have been paying taxes ever since. If there is one stimulus program that works for the long run, it's the Pell Grants. If there is a better use of government money, I don't know what it is. It's an incredibly effective investment, paying almost nothing to get several decades worth of tax revenues that would otherwise not exist.

Just got $5200 from the Pell and over $10,000 total in scholarships and grants.

I'm a full time student working only part time (15-20 hrs a week). Last year I got Pell after working only 6 months of the year. I got married in June of 08, and my wife started her first year of teaching in a public school soon after that (so she only worked a few months, and at teacher pay at that!). I was denied Pell this year because my expected family contribution was something like $6000.

We're savers (only debt is a small mortgage), and had a few thousand in the bank. FAFSA asked how much money I had in savings/checking accounts. Is there a chance I was denied because I don't spend above my means?!?!?!

I also just had to pay my tuition for this fall (ALREADY!) to keep my schedule, and in Georgia, you no longer get to pay for 12 hours and take as many over that as you wish. I now have to pay per hour no matter what! So my tuition went up by 40% this coming year as well.

@kduhtoe:
Your family's income only counts against you until you are 22, after that its all you. You are allocated so much for Stafford loans where the interest is subsidized (paid by uncle sam) while you are in school and the rest are unsubisidized so it accrues while you are in school.
I am actually really shocked that someone with a PhD got through the whole schooling process without using a FAFSA, its required that everyone student whose uses loans at my school to fill one out.

@LiC: I'm curious. What are the interest rates of some of your federal Stafford loans?

Another way of getting more value for your dollar is going to community college. I see people constantly shitting on community colleges with "Oh it isn't a real college" and other nonsense. I have saved approximately half of my college tuition by going to a community college, then transferring to a 4 year school later. My job pays $4k a year reimbursement and with grants I haven't paid for anything yet. I know not all people will qualify for grants but for $20 a unit (vs $400 a unit) you can't get any cheaper.

Only thing with community colleges there is a lot more competition to get classes because it is so cheap, so register early and be prepared to gt your information in early. And don't think you can't get into a good school out of cc because all the major schools, even Ivy League schools come and recruit from here.

For as long as I have been in school, FAFSA has been a huge pain in side. At 20, I owned a house and hadnt been a dependent in over three years but I had to fight to prove that I was independent and paying for things entirely on my own. I only got a Pell Grant for one semester and then since I made too much money with the full time job, I got loans only.
Then I got married last year and now with husband's income, I only qualify for unsubsidized loans as I get my MBA. Thank goodness for tutition reimbursement through work so I wont really have to finance too much.

@QimatMocker: Well, if you're going to quote Wikipedia (the most infallible online resource, pshh), maybe you should read the article which defines "middle class". It's not simply defined as median income.

[en.wikipedia.org]

@realserendipity: This is really good info. I had the same problem as an undergraduate - parents' income put me out of federal assistance range. I didn't realize that at 22 you can use your own income on the application. Probably would have saved me some money in grad school!

@My Asian Grandma: As a person who has occasionally made hiring decisions for my company, I can say that community colleges mean much less than I think some people assume. In fact, going to a community college can carry with it the message that you were willing to go to great lengths to overcome obstacles. An applicant from Amherst probably doesn't have a great "story" - but an applicant from East Podunk Community College probably has a story I want to hear. And that can make a difference.

As a student accounts & financial aid professional with over 16 years experience I have to comment.
First, the FAFSA is an overly complex & flawed form/process. Having said that, it is currently the best (and only) option available to apply for federal student aid. The FAFSA will probably be simplified in the next 2-5 years, until then we have to deal with it.
Second, the FAFSA is used to calculate an EFC, or Expected Family Contribution. A school then takes its Cost of Attendance, deducts the EFC and comes up with a baseline anticipated need for the student. Some schools will be able to use federal and school funds to cover the student's entire cost of attendance, others won't be able to (due to a lack of funds).
Third, the FAFSA does not & cannot take into account families & students living beyond their means. If you've raked up thousands of dollars in credit card debt or bought more house than you should have that was your choice; schools & the government aren't going to give you more aid because of those choices.
Fourth, exceptions can be made for sudden changes in income, unexpected medical costs & other severe hardships beyond the student or family's control. FAFSA's are based on tax return from the previous year. If you or your parent have lost a job recently you can appeal to your financial aid office for a "professional judgment." Please note that there are strict guidelines for schools to make these exceptions, but if your request is legit, they can probably do something for you.
Fifth, If you got no aid you should always ask the financial aid office why. Mistakes get made. One bad piece of data somewhere (possibly from you, possibly from them) can make a HUGE difference.
Sixth, look at how much a school costs to attend before applying or accepting admission.
Finally, be responsible and reasonable. Communicate with the financial aid and student accounts staff. They truly are there to help you. If they aren't helpful (and you've been treating them civilly and reasonably), then find another institution that actually values you and your educational goals.
One more thing: before enrolling in any online education programs make sure that the program/institution is accredited, preferably be a regional (not national) accreditor. Also, if you are planning to transfer those online credits to a brick & mortar institution make sure that institution will accept the credits before you (possibly) waste your time & money. An admissions or registrar's office at a brick & mortar school will gladly review your courses & tell you if they will accept the credits (just give them enough time to do it).
Hope that helps!

@solareclipse2: I make a around fourteen grand a year and the ONLY grant I qualified for was Pell. I couldn't get the extra federal low income grant or the extra Ohio low income grant. My EFC was too high buy about $500. It's bullshit.

I also can't get any scholarships. I'm a non traditional student (going back at 26), but not non traditional enough. If I had an ex-husband and/or a kid, if I were a minority or had a disability, I would be eligible.

As it stands my only choice right now is private loans. Oh, but my decent-but-not-great credit and the fact that I haven't even hit ten grand in income yet this year mean I need a cosigner. I haven't found one yet.

At this point, there's a good chance I may have to withdraw before the school year even starts. My Pell and Staffords just barely cover University expenses, and not anything else.

@beckalina: Yeah, uh. So not the thread that was supposed to be in. WTF?

@Carso: I do not think it is that simple. I believe a student would need to be independent for over three years before excluding parental income.

Protip: Fill it out for your parents as "separated/divorced" and only include the parent with the lower income.

@kduhtoe:

you are considered independant if you answer yes to one of the following questions..

Over 22? (born before 1/1/xx, updates each eyar)
Married?
Children that you pay for more than half of?
Veteran
Orphan

I'm paraphrasing, but many students, especially non-traditional (read: not 18 and living free with their parents) often qualify for more than they think they will.

KDuhtoe, there are typically different rules for state grant programs, for instance the NYS TAP grant requires different conditions be met to be considered independant.

In addition, if you're living situation has changed dramatically (read: layed off, lots less income) your pell grant can be adjusted after the fact.

disclaimer: I'm a state grant coordinator for a college, and this post is not advice, or instructions.

@computerwiz3491:

Your number 2...the first F in FAFSA is for "free". Never let anyone charge you to fill out anything with the word "free" right in the title.

@elocanth:

The divorce didn't qualify him for anything.

He would have still been required to use the income from whatever household he spent more time at the previous year. (I.e. 7 months with mom and stepdad, he'd use their income, if he lived with dad + stepmom, he'd use their income)

If he qualified for grants that you didn't, it was because the household income was lower than yours. (student+parental income)

Divorce makes no difference in the case of remarried parents. You cannot exclude the income of the step-parent in the household.

@jf027:

did you make more money? Did the number of people in the household or in college change? There's nothing arbitrary about the PELL formula. Its been relatively unchanged for around 30 years.

@Corporate_guy: PROTIP: Illegal to do if they are NOT divorced or separated. When complete a FAFSA you certify that you understand that the Secretary of Education has the authority to verify information reported on this application with the Internal Revenue Service and other federal agencies.

If you purposely give false or misleading information, you could be fined $20,000, sent to prison, or both.

@jsbeagle:

The figure that's in your account isn't used in the calculation.

If you're EFC was 6000, you made too much money to qualify the previous year.

@realserendipity: I disagree with the subsidized part, that's only a possible option if you qualify. When I was in college, my parents made too much money for me to qualify for anything, including subsidized Stafford loans. The only Stafford I was able to get was unsubsidized (thankfully, I didn't need anything). My wife, however, was qualified for subsidized Stafford, since her parents don't make very much.

As for the family income age limit, here's what I found:

If the student answers "yes" to any of the following questions, he/she is considered to be independent.

* Will you be at least 24 years old before January 1 of the academic year for which you seek financial aid?
* Are you married?
* Are you enrolled in a graduate or professional education program?
* Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
* Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you?
* Are both of your parents* deceased, or are you (or were you until age 18) a ward/dependent of the court?
* Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
* Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

Source: [www.financialaid.iastate.edu] based on the dependency status worksheet found on the FAFSA website: [www.fafsa.ed.gov]

So no, you have to be 24 to not include your family income. However, if you're in a graduate program, then you're considered independent.

@DefineStatutory:

shoudkl read over 24, not 22..did the math on the dates wrong.

@DefineStatutory: Excellent adv...er, instructions. I agree, a lot of people have benefited from FAFSA. A lot of people also [feel they] have been screwed by FAFSA. If FAFSA works for you, fantastic. My original response was directed at the following post:

"Yeah, if you're in college and you didn't fill out a FAFSA, then you shouldn't be in college."

It's simply not true. For some people with good credit and a cosigner, private loans may work out for the better.