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<blockquote> <p>Lets say I will get $15,000.00 per year from Fafsa to go to a private college. I need another $25,000.00 per year to pay for the school. >></p> </blockquote>
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<p>Again I'll reiterate...FAFSA does NOT award any money to anyone. The FAFSA is a financial information collecting form used to determine eligibility for federal monies. If your school costs more than the amount of federal money allocated, you have to hope that the school will use the information to award you money from THEIR own coffers in the form of some kind of institutional grant. Typically this happens most at well endowed private and public colleges. </p>
<p>FAFSA also doesn't "make you take money" from anywhere. The colleges award the money...but in fact when you get a financial aid package from any college, you are free to decline taking any portion of it you don't want to take. </p>
<p>Now regarding "free rides"...there really aren't too many of those. Even schools that meet full need DO expect a student contribution of several thousand dollars (which you can earn working in summers and during the school year). Many schools include loans in their finaid packages. Some of the most well endowed schools have eliminated loans in their packages for students with limited income and assets in their families. BUT these colleges are very few in number (and the challenge first is to be accepted).</p>
<p>And lastly, the schools with the largest endowments and generous full need financial aid use both the FAFSA AND the Profile in awarding their finaid packages...and some have their own financial aid forms.</p>