APOL

Mam2.imho..a question of ethics may apply to your padding the FAFSA...is this what you want to teach your child?

lindz126

I did the fafsa 4caster---it asked for only 2006 info--how do you set the fafsa up so you do it "planning to file"

TrinSF

I guess the only concern I have is that I think that the "you will never get a free ride" is a little bit overstated. You don't have to be Harvard quality -- there are a number of 1/2 tier LACs that are now offering additional grants to low income families to remove loans and work study. Even some public universities are doing it -- for example, UC "Regent Scholarships" can include extra grants to replace loans and workstudy. A student can certainly be good enough (and needy enough) to get one of those without being "Harvard-quality".

I think it would be more realistic to say that the 'full ride' -- full grant-based aid without loans or work study -- is very rare and not the norm, without saying that it's only for "Harvard quality" students. It *is* increasingly becoming available to very low income students, so very low income students shouldn't restrict their applications to just public or local schools. The advice seems to suggest that very bright low income students who are not "Harvard quality" cannot get aid without loans, which is misleading.

xtra

According to the princeton review, an income protection allowance in federal tax forms is very low. we should sent a report to every one of the schools I apply, telling them the actual amount of the family budget. Is this necessary?

x0angelwings39

so umm does anyone know what to do if you cant file 2007 tax forms by feb 15 and the school wants it then? cuz i've been bugging my mom, but she says she can't do it until she gets all the info from everywhere...(she doesn't really work...she files as self-employed)

phonyreal98

Yeah same here...my dad needs to get info from some companies he's invested in, and he won't be able to file until April or so.

SLUMOM

ALWAYS submit a list of your out-of-pocket medical expenses and copies of the medical bills. A public school might not consider medical expenses, a private school usually will. I keep track all year long of our medical expenses. They are submitted with the tax returns to the student's school. IF you are in the application process with a high school senior, send the medical expenses & tax returns together to the finanancial aid offices, via CERTIFIED MAIL. Every October, buy the book "How to Pay For College Without Going Broke" by Kalman Chany, a Princeton Review book & take your tax returns & do the worksheets in back of the book, to calculate your EFC. That book has saved us probably $1,000's over the years. Also, another important point is that a FAFSA or a CSS Profile will not accurately spit out the correct number of your property taxes on your house, your state income taxes paid or personal property taxes paid to your town/city (For Cars) You must personally write a letter & give these numbers to your child's FAO every year he/she is in college, thereby saving you money! If you are in the application stage for a high school senior, state your local and state income taxes AND your medical expenses (with documentation) in a letter along with the tax returns to the FAO of every school your child has applied to! Remember taxes you have paid are deducted from your AGI and there is a medical expense allowance you could qualify for, but you have to tell the FAO's about it to get that allowance, especially if you are dealing with a private college.

karlking85

I just wanted to add, yes it's true that companies don't HAVE to send out 1099 Forms until February 28th (29th on leap years.) It does not follow the same rules as the 1040.

lindz126

hi slumom,
I live in Florida--have high med expenses--no income tax--but paid high sales tax--we can substitute that--are you suggesting these lower your AGI?
thanks

cptofthehouse

You estimate and then send in the revised infor. Meet the deadlines, because the goodies go early. If they have to reduce your aid, they will. Increasing it can be a problem if grant money runs out, so be conservative in that you get a little more, not less.

SLUMOM

If private colleges consider high out-of-pocket medical expenses, it is worth sending them in-copies of receipts & an itemized list. Usually public schools don't consider them, unless they are over a certain perentage of your AGI
(adjusted gross income) I have never seen any documentation listed about state sales tax as being an allowance (or a deduction from your AGI in the financial aid formulas) Forgive the late response to this inquiry!

tuleep

I am just planning to go to U.S and I want to go there with good scholarship,but have not yet chosen the university and have no idea how to proceed for financial aid,and people say,its better to go for jan/feb symmester,is it so?Plz reply soon

tuleep

for undergraduate students.it is said that there are only 50 universities in U.S.A who provide full scholarships.And even among them only few are the universities with accouting as a major. so plz can I gat the information of few of those universities?

thumper1

tuleep, I would suggest that you start a separate thread for your questions about an international student who wants to study accounting with a full scholarship. There are precious FEW universities in the U.S. where an international student can expect to receive full funding for college. In fact, there aren't all that many full funding scholarships for U.S. citizens. The best thing you can do to help yourself is read the college website. Their finaid website will give you info about finaid for internationals...and the common data set (do a search for that on the college website) will give you an idea of the %age of aid the school disperses. The website will also tell you IF there are full ride scholarships and what the criteria for them is.

You need to know that most colleges will view your ability to pay when admissions are considered, if you are an international student. Most full ride scholarships are for the tippy top of the applicant pool. Many have separate application processes.

paceckafecker

My daugher only worked part time from December 07' up to date, very minimal hours. I am not sure if her tax return will be needed for FAFSA?