Dnerd

*I plan on going to Florida State University (if that makes a difference)

I'm in Florida. I'm African-American. My dad lives in the Bahamas and only gives $100 to me every Christmas. My mom makes about $33,000 and our household consists of me, my 6 year old brother, and my mother in it.

1. Will I have to include my dad's information at all on the fafsa forms? It's near impossible to find out what he does and how much he makes since they don't have to keep track of it in the Bahamas.

2. I don't do that well in school, but I have a 4.05 weighted GPA (A in IB = 5 and normal classes follow the 1, 2, 3, 4 format) and a 3.3 unweighted GPA. I'm in the 18th percentile of my class. I'm a National Achievement Semi-Finalist. I have a 27 on the ACT and.. that's about it. I don't even know if academics go anywhere on the fafsa form, but do any of those qualify me for anything?

3. When should I even apply for fafsa in the first place? I've been told "December" and "anytime after Christmas."

Thanks in advance!

vballmom

1. Are your parents married? If they are, then you'll need to include your father's income and assets. If they're not, then you don't.

2. You did great in school!

3. You can apply for FAFSA starting on January 1, 2010.

mom2collegekids

^^^
vball...it sounds like the parents are separated or divorced (or never married). If his parents are separated, will he have to report his dad's income on FAFSA?

----------------------------------------------

To: Dnerd....

congrats on making NM Achievement...

BTW....if you apply right away to UAlabama (before Dec 1), they'll give you free tuition and housing, plus some other benefits. No FAFSA needed.

National Merit Finalist or National Achievement Finalist

Value of tuition in-state or out-of-state for 4 years
4 years of on-campus housing at regular room rate* (including honors housing)
$1,000 per year University National Merit/Achievement Scholarship for 4 years
One time allowance of $2,000 for use in summer research or international study (after completing one year of study at UA)
Laptop computer**

For an Out-of-state student like yourself, this NM Achievement scholarship is worth over $100,000.


here's the link for info.... http://scholarships.ua.edu/topscholars/nmpackage.html

again...you must apply by Dec 1 to the school and do the scholaship app by Dec 1.

At a minimum, you should apply to UA as a financial safety.


BTW...even though the honors college usually requires a 28 ACT for acceptance into the honors college, I think NM Achievements also get accepted if you apply with a lower score.

vballmom

If parents are separated then the father's income and assets are not reportable on FAFSA.

Dnerd

Thanks; moms are awesome!

mom2collegekids

^^^^

Glad to help...

I hope you do apply to UA as a financial safety. Depending on your major, you might also qualify for for a dept scholarship. There are also other scholarships that you might qualify for, too. Are you the first generation in your family to go to college?

I would suggest that you also do FAFSA (submit after Jan 1st) in case you'd also get some grant money to make up any gap...such as to pay for books or to pay for your meal plan. And, as others have told you, only your mom's income will go on the FAFSA..grades don't go on FAFSA.

I'm sure you've heard about Alabama in regards to football, but you may not know a lot more about it. It's a really good school with a beautiful campus... click on these links for the
virtual tour Virtual Campus Tour - The University of Alabama
and
the iTour http://itour.ua.edu/watch/

UA website The University of Alabama

UA application Undergraduate Admissions - The University of Alabama

UA scholarship application Entering Freshman Students - Undergraduate Scholarships - The University of Alabama

Good luck to you!

Dnerd

I actually just got a letter from "gobama" (apparently they hate being called UA because of Arizona..) with all of that information.

Both of my parents went to a community college and got some credits before dropping out (supposedly as a result of having me). So, I'm not sure if I count as a first-gen or not. I think it only counts if they're currently in college or have a degree, and neither of those are true.

I'm going to apply right now. Again, thanks!

Dnerd

Darn. Does anyone know if they have application fee waivers? I was able to use app waivers for 3 other universities by providing copies of my ACT and SAT waivers, but I can't find any information on the site.

mom2collegekids

^^^

I'll try to find out for you..


I sent an email asking your question to the Bama admissions office, but I don't know if any offices are open on Sunday.

Here is their number, just in case. I expect I'll get an email answer tomorrow.

Telephone
Local: (205) 348-5666
Toll Free: 1-800-933-BAMA (2262)

Dnerd

Thanks. I volunteer from 3-5 so I never get a chance to call them, and they haven't responded to an email yet. =/

mom2collegekids

I usually get an email response within a day or two.

I forgot to call and ask during business hours today. I'll keep this open to remind me for tomorrow.

mom2collegekids

I spoke to "Lyndsey" from UA Admissions.

She said that it's best to print out the paper app and send it in with your SAT/ACT fee waiver. There is a way to do it online, but it's more complicated.

Then, after UA receives your paper app, you'll get an email with your logon ID so that you can create a password and log into Mybama to then do the scholarship app (which can easily be done online since no waiver needed for that).

Dnerd

Again, thanks very much!

I just printed the paper application.

mom2collegekids

Good! Let us know how it goes!

matok

Just to make it clear, the OP has not yet advanced to finalist as NM Achievement.. he only qualifies for free tuition right now. The extras are contingent on whether he becomes a finalist