beginners' FAFSA and need access questions Forum

[englawyer]

You don't need parents' info for FAFSA, but you need it for Need Access and the individual forms for each school (if they have these).

For both you and your parents, Need Access asks if you're basing your numbers on completed 2009 tax forms or if you're estimating for 2009.

I've missed the deadline for Vandy. I was bugging my parents forever to get their docs together and they just finished it now.

In a word or two, how tough and long is Need Access? I am frightened of filling it out I plan to do FAFSA this week or so. I assume once you complete Need Access, it goes straight to the schools. (ie it doesn't reach them weeks later, hence late)

hard, unless you happen to know the exact car payments of your parents, the make and model of their vehicles, and other such mundane details by heart.

[eagles111]

WTF? Need Access wants me to estimate my income and expenses for 2010? I have no idea. I started a new job in december so last year's #s are not helpful. I might work here through the summer or I might move, depending on where I go to law school. I might work part time in the fall or I might not. 3mos full time work and 4 mos part time work (at an unknown rate of pay) make a big difference. My estimate will likely be off by 1000's of dollars. if i'm way off do they care?

[englawyer]

WTF? Need Access wants me to estimate my income and expenses for 2010? I have no idea. I started a new job in december so last year's #s are not helpful. I might work here through the summer or I might move, depending on where I go to law school. I might work part time in the fall or I might not. 3mos full time work and 4 mos part time work (at an unknown rate of pay) make a big difference. My estimate will likely be off by 1000's of dollars. if i'm way off do they care?

my estimates were also bad..i think they mostly want ballpark estimates.

[02122015]

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[nyyankees]

where on the FAFSA can i put my outstanding student loans? Or is that in NeedAccess? And where is are the Need Access forms? or does that happen after?

[englawyer]

outstanding loans are part of either the institutional financial aid app or needaccess (forgot which).

need access can be found here:

http://www.needaccess.org/

[daesonesb]

AH!
Every time I try to start fafsa 2010-2011, it sends me to the 2009-2010 form, and starts asking me questions about my plans to start school in sept. 2009. This is annoying, am I just doing something wrong?

EDIT: after re-opening and checking the 2010-2011 box literally TEN times, it let me start a 2010 fafsa. I can see why most people dont finish filling out this god damn thing.

[astro1819]

how important are the priority deadlines? I won't be receiving all my tax information until the first week of march, and having my parents figure out their information for the needaccess application may take weeks...

[CordeliusX]

Three general Need Access questions.

1. How does listing schools work for Need Access? Specifically, I have four schools that I have to send it to as soon as I'm done with it, but one (Michigan) that says not to submit it until after I get an admissions decision. Is it easy to add additional schools after the fact?

2. About how long does the whole thing take? Can you save your work and go back to it?

3. Above, someone said that they want to know your income and expenses estimate for 2010 - do they really mean the whole year or are we basically going up until August or whenever we quit our jobs and start law school?

+1

[02122015]

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[ToadGoDead]

needaccess seems like a huge pain in the ass, why is it needed in addition to FAFSA ?

[catharsis]

sorry, i feel like such an idiot for asking this but do we have to fill out needaccess for every school? i still dont even know what that is all i did was fill out the fafsa and send it off to schools..

[agentzer0]

read this for all fin-aid related questions

http://www.top-law-schools.com/funding- ... ation.html

[catharsis]

^ thank you that link was extremely helpful!

[CordeliusX]

read this for all fin-aid related questions

http://www.top-law-schools.com/funding- ... ation.html

Thanks. One thing - it says 4 weeks for FAFSA processing. I've been told it's more like 4 days

[agentzer0]

read this for all fin-aid related questions

http://www.top-law-schools.com/funding- ... ation.html

Thanks. One thing - it says 4 weeks for FAFSA processing. I've been told it's more like 4 days

yeah it shouldn't take anywhere near 4 weeks. that's just the FAFSA official line (give themselves plenty of time) 4 days is a much more realistic scenario