Let's say after FA, remaining balance is 20k. How do I pay?

[BelknapPoint]

However, I found that when I change my 15k in savings to 0, I qualify for grants and the total comes out to around 13.5k, which is very reasonable. Wouldn’t it just be more beneficial to give my money to my parents? Anyone have experience with this?

Use your $15k in savings to open a student-owned 529 college savings account, and then that money will be assessed at the lower parent asset rate for FAFSA purposes.