Is being on Free or Reduced Lunch necessary to qualify?

FinAidQuestion · 02-22-2010, 02:07 AM

Hi all, I have a quick question on the program.

Recently I was informed about the college match program by my counselor, and she encouraged me to apply for free & reduced lunch because "Questbridge asks the school if you're low income, and the only way that they know you're low income is if you are on the free or reduced lunch program at the school".

The thing is, while I do qualify for the free and reduced lunch program, my family does not feel that it's necessary, and I would not use the program anyway.

So my question is this - is being part of the free & reduced lunch program necessary to apply? I'm sure if they asked the student applying for finaid/income tax forms, we would qualify (our income is $0), so would they take info from the students?

Sorry if this is an elementary question - it's my first post here on the forum.

applicannot · 02-22-2010, 03:59 PM

That's absolutely false. You can be low-income and not qualify for free and reduced lunch, for a variety of reasons. You have to send tax income to the schools you apply to, so although you self-report your income, it's going to be verified. However, qualifying for FRL has other perks (such as CollegeBoard waivers, the Automatic 0 EFC, and maybe AP exam fee waivers), so there's really no reason not to sign up. You don't have to use it.

FinAidQuestion · 02-23-2010, 05:56 PM

While we do qualify, it seems a bit like living a lie. Without getting into too much detail on the situation, our income is 0 only because both of my parents are retired. We still live in a fairly affluent home in a fairly affluent community, and if I'm not mistaken, we only qualify for FRL simply because of our "low income".

As far as I know, fee waivers for SAT/SATII/APs are unnecessarybecause I have already recieved a satisfactory score on the SATI and will not be retaking, and I have already taken five SAT IIs, so that's not needed either. Really, the only CollegeBoard test I still need to take are the APs this year and senior year, and I don't think it's that big of a deal for my parents to pay it.

I guess my primary concern is not wanting teachers/admin to think I'm taking advantage of the system, if you know what I mean.

applicannot · 02-23-2010, 07:30 PM

If you feel you are taking advantage of the FRL system because you live in an affluent home in an affluent community with a low-income only because of retirement, why do you not feel you would be taking advantage of the QuestBridge system?

rainbowcandy · 02-23-2010, 09:09 PM

One shouldn't discourage people from applying through Questbridge, even if the real financial situation were known, which in this case it wasn't. It's a great program, and it's not solely beneficial to the very bottom rung of society.

applicannot · 02-23-2010, 09:54 PM

I'm not discouraging anyone from applying to QuestBridge. I'm just wondering why the OP doesn't feel "low-income" enough to apply for FRL, but feels "low-income" enough to apply for QuestBridge. I'm wondering what is going on in the OP's mind. S/he feels like s/he is living a lie and thus will not apply for FRL, but does feel qualified for QuestBridge. I'm just wondering what the distinction is.

FinAidQuestion · 02-24-2010, 05:51 PM

Cutoff for Questbridge (60K) is far higher than the cutoff for FRL, and Questbridge analyzes the financial situation by taking into account any assets over 10K the family posesses. If Questbridge doesn't think I qualify, then I won't apply - they'll have a much clearer picture of the financial situation in my family than what I would submit for FRL, which I know I would get for sure if I fill in "$0" for the yearly income.

To reiterate, Questbridge will be able to determine if I am in need of the scholarship, while FRL will not. I know I qualify for FRL, but I do not know if I qualify for Questbridge.

applicannot · 02-24-2010, 06:35 PM

That works for me. I was just questioning your thought process, as it didn't make sense to me. I wasn't trying to be belligerent.

FinAidQuestion · 02-25-2010, 02:46 AM

Not a problem; I re-read my first to posts and found it a bit contradictory as well, so I guess I'm clarifying for the both of us.

clarinetgurl · 06-12-2010, 11:50 PM

My family also qualifies for free lunch but does feel it is necessary for us. That would be taking advantage of a system set up to help people who maybe can't get lunch any other way. The distinction between that and Questbridge for me is that I submitted a comprehensive application for QB and was admitted to College Prep because of my accomplishments, not only because of our finances. In addition, est. price of lunch for 180 days: $360. Est. price of a top college for a year: $40,000. The difference is rather dramatic.