I’m planning on transferring for fall 2019 and I’m filling out FAFSA for the first time. My parents have been separated for less than a year. My mom pays for basically everything, but my dad has been paying most of my tuition for my first semester and will continue to do the same for my second semester. New to FAFSA and just wondering if I need to fill out the information for both my parents based on the situation above. I used the FAFSA calculator online and I said my parents were separated and it only made me fill out one, but I could’ve sworn I have to fill out both my parents’ information.
Also, does anyone have any good FAFSA calculators that are pretty accurate? I really don’t think I’ll get anything if I apply, but some of the schools I’m applying to are need-aware. I just don’t want the sole fact that I’m applying for aid to affect my chances. Does admissions at need-aware schools consider the actual amount you’d need or just the fact that you applied? Also don’t really want to fill out all that info if I’m not going to get anything.
When it asks if I’m applying for financial aid on the Common App page of certain need-aware schools, I just feel like I’m subjecting myself to an automatic rejection
For the fafsa, you provide the information for the parent you lived with most during the last 365 days. If you apply Dec 20, you list the information for the parent you lived with most from Dec21, 2017 to Dec 20,2018.
It is likely your parents filed a joint tax return for 2017. If so, you won’t be able to use the DRT to transfer info from their tax filing with the IRS. You’ll have to fill in the info for the parent you live with, and just the income that parent earned. Use W2 forms for that.
FAFSA would use the parent you live with most of the time.
Some colleges also have supplemental forms (usually CSS Profile, but sometimes their own) and may require both parents’ information (colleges using CSS Profile have the option to require the CSS Noncustodial Profile for applicants with divorced or separated parents). Check the college web site to be sure.
And if you lived with the parents equally for the year prior to the date of filing, then on the FAFSA, you would put the parent who provides the greater amount of your financial support.
Are you transferring to a college that either requires the Profile or their own form? Read carefully to find out. If the Profile, some schools require the non-custodial parent Profile.
NYU is VERY pricey and does not guarantee to meet full need for all. And the school requires the Profile…and the non-custodial Parent Profile.
Wesleyan is also pricey, but doesn’t meet full need for accepted students. The school requires the Profile and the non-custodial parent form.
Are you a Texas resident?
I would strongly suggest that you talk to your parents about college affordability…NOW. Since they now have two households…paying $70,000 a year in college costs might not be realistic.
I don’t think the second part of this is accurate. According to the school’s website, they meet 100% of financial need. (Unless we’re talking about two different colleges named Wesleyan.)
Oops…wesleyan DOES meet full need for accepted students. Sorry…when I edited…I didn’t fix that part.
Still…will this student qualify for need based aid with BOTH parent incomes and assets taken into consideration? He or she did not apply for aid last year (says this is her first time with the FAFSA) but applied to schools like Middlebury.
If the family had the resources to be full pay at Middlebury (not accepted there), then the question is…do they have the resources NOW to pay full costs to attend these private universities?
The student needs to ask the parents and not just assume these costs are still attainable.
@thumper1 I have spoken to my parents about it. It is attainable. My parents don’t think we’ll actually qualify, but my mom wants me to apply anyway. That’s why I asked if I need to fill out the information for both parents now that they’re no longer together, but if I just have to fill out the information for one parent then I could possibly get some aid, but there’s no way I’d get aid if I had to fill out the information for both. My dad has been paying my tuition this year, but throughout college my parents will probably switch off. Even though my mom pays for most of my things, as I said, my dad has been paying my college tuition because my mom always paid my high school tuition. I just think it would odd to only fill out the information for my mom, but then for my dad to pay for tuition. I feel like the school would be like “???” I forgot to mention the annual costs for my siblings attending college is about 71k combined.
Edit: The post is weird I know. Why am I asking about aid if I don’t even qualify? I feel the same way, but my mom just wants me to fill it out anyway. I really have no idea why. And, no, it’s not because there may be financial issues I may be unaware of. She’s been asking that we fill out FAFSA for the past 5 years since my siblings started to apply, but I’m the only one that actually cared to follow through with her wishes. I think it may be because if you don’t apply for aid when your first apply to a school (as a transfer at least), some schools will never give you aid even if unforeseen financial circumstances arise. I know Wesleyan makes you wait a year for aid if you didn’t apply when first applying. I know Brown will never give transfers aid if they didn’t apply for it when they first applied to the school.
If your father’s financial information is not required to be reported on your FAFSA, any money he gives to you or expenses he pays for you must be reported as untaxed income for the student. Remember that income is reported on a prior-prior year basis.