Quick FAFSA question Forum

[dustybottoms7]

so some schools i have applied to want parental info on the fafsa, and others don't. If i simply submit one fafsa with my parental info, does this hurt my chances for need based aid at the schools that do not require it in any way? tried searching other threads, couldn't pin down an answer. thanks

[JFO1833]

Berkeley has some good advice about this:

When you get to the parent section, the FAFSA will tell you that you do not need to submit parent information as a graduate level student. While this is true if you are applying for federal aid (loans, work-study) only, you must submit parent information anyway if you are interested in institutional need-based aid (grants, scholarships) at Berkeley Law.

If you do not wish to include parent information on the FAFSA for other law schools, you may want to consider submitting the FAFSA to those schools first, then resubmitting for Berkeley. This can be done once an e-mail is received confirming receipt of the initial FAFSA submission. Remove those school codes, add the information to complete your application to Berkeley and resubmit with Berkeley’s school code, 001312.

[ChemEng1642]

Oh!

Any other T14 school other than Berkley require FAFSA to have parent info?

I looked up each school's website but some of them don't say anything about it - should I assume no parent info needed (as we are graduate students and technically independent for FAFSA) unless specified? (Like Berkeley)

[dustybottoms7]

Berkeley has some good advice about this:

When you get to the parent section, the FAFSA will tell you that you do not need to submit parent information as a graduate level student. While this is true if you are applying for federal aid (loans, work-study) only, you must submit parent information anyway if you are interested in institutional need-based aid (grants, scholarships) at Berkeley Law.

If you do not wish to include parent information on the FAFSA for other law schools, you may want to consider submitting the FAFSA to those schools first, then resubmitting for Berkeley. This can be done once an e-mail is received confirming receipt of the initial FAFSA submission. Remove those school codes, add the information to complete your application to Berkeley and resubmit with Berkeley’s school code, 001312.

I saw that but not too sure about what other school's preferences are. Not trying to go thru the hassle of resubmitting for the school's that do want it, so just wondering if submitting with the parent info has any effect on those schools who do not require it?

[hitherim]

Oh!

Any other T14 school other than Berkley require FAFSA to have parent info?

I looked up each school's website but some of them don't say anything about it - should I assume no parent info needed (as we are graduate students and technically independent for FAFSA) unless specified? (Like Berkeley)

UVA requires it

[JFO1833]

I saw that but not too sure about what other school's preferences are. Not trying to go thru the hassle of resubmitting for the school's that do want it, so just wondering if submitting with the parent info has any effect on those schools who do not require it?

Probably not, especially because most of Berkeley's peer schools don't consider the FASFA for need eligibility (only for federal loans for which the figures on the FASFA don't have any effect). Even if they do, they will probably get the same info on Need Access anyway.

I believe that the schools (among to the top-14) that don't consider parental info under any circumstances (just Michigan and Northwestern, I think) both claim to not consider parent info if they do happen to see it.

All that said, the amount of effort required to resubmit is pretty small, just takes about five minutes. The bigger concern is if the few days it takes to get the FASFA from the government to the schools each time you submit causes a problem with deadlines. (You can't resubmit until the prior submission has been processed).