Parents of the HS Class of 2026

[aewlmom]

Specific examples of schools that require you to fill out FAFSA or CSS for merit aid?

Both my kids’ college counselors sometimes suggest there are schools that require you to fill out the FAFSA and/or CSS to be eligible for merit aid. We did it for my son, even though none of the schools he was applying to seemed to require it, and it confirmed we would not qualify for financial aid. Now we’re going through process for the second kid. I wondered from the wisdom here if there was an actual list of schools that require these forms for merit aid, or if this is just urban myth.

This is a relatively recent thread discussing the issue.

Edited to add: According to this, Fordham apparently requires the FAFSA for disbursement of merit funds but not to award them.