Confused, please help! Need Access Forum

[KellyD09]

What exactly is Need Access and how do you know whether you should fill it out or not?

I have already completed my FAFSA and sent it to all the schools I've applied to.

I was accepted to Vanderbilt over the weekend and there is a letter saying Need Access is required to apply for need-based scholarships... BUT it says priority deadline was February 15th... Which was before I was accepted. Was I supposed to have already done this regardless? Should I still do it?

[existenz]

What exactly is Need Access and how do you know whether you should fill it out or not?

I have already completed my FAFSA and sent it to all the schools I've applied to.

I was accepted to Vanderbilt over the weekend and there is a letter saying Need Access is required to apply for need-based scholarships... BUT it says priority deadline was February 15th... Which was before I was accepted. Was I supposed to have already done this regardless? Should I still do it?

Yes, you should have done Need Access before you were accepted.

Google "Need Access" and fill it out ASAP. You will need your parents' tax info, your tax info, etc. You can simultaneously send the Need Access info to all of the schools that require it (the site has a list of which schools need it).

Of course, you could skip this if you are wealthy/well-to-do and wouldn't qualify for need-based aid anyway.

[dakatz]

I don't know about Vandy, but I will use the example of U Chicago. They list February 1st as their Need Access deadline. However, I was accepted on February 5th. I called up and was told that the Feb 1st deadline only applied to students accepted earlier. They said that, as long as I got my Need Access in soon after my acceptance, then it was totally fine, and that it wasn't expected that I file it before being accepted. I'm sure the same applies to Vandy.

[KellyD09]

Thanks!