If my son applies for public assistance and does his own financial aid, will he be able to apply as independent next year? In addition, (assuming he's able to) would I be able to claim him on my income tax returns this year? He is 19 years old. My goal is to get him as much financial aid as possible. I ...

Last year my family had low income ($40,000) but high assets. The assets include $1 million in properties, other investments, the primary home, car, 401(k), IRA and pension plan. How are the assets counted for determining need-based financial aid? — S.S. Certain types of assets are not reported on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). For example, the net ...

If I change schools, how do I edit my FAFSA so the money goes to my new school? And about how long would it take for the money to transfer schools? — Q.T. Student financial aid does not directly transfer between colleges. Instead, the new college will recalculate your eligibility from scratch based on the information on your FAFSA and the ...

I am new to all of this and I am wondering how soon we find out how much financial aid we will be getting. My son has been accepted at 3 colleges and each one wants money to secure his place. One is way more expensive than the others but if we get enough aid he can go there. The deposit ...

You must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) if you want to apply for federal and state financial aid. Many colleges and universities, especially public institutions, also require the FAFSA. You must submit the FAFSA every year that you want aid. Obtaining a FAFSA The FAFSA is available in several formats, including online, PDF and paper versions. The ...

With President Barack Obama's inauguration, many people are looking forward to the changes he promised during his campaign in 2008. He set specific goals in evolving the college application and attendance process. One specific plan is the American Opportunity Tax Grant. Another is the elimination of the FAFSA. President Obama and Vice President Biden hope to streamline the process of applying ...

Applying for financial aid is easier than you think. Your first stop: the (FAFSA). For many schools, this is the only form you need. What is it? The FAFSA is the form the federal government uses to determine your eligibility for federal assistance (loans, grants, work-study appointments and some scholarships). Schools also base their financial aid packages on the FAFSA. And, ...

If a child does not qualify for the free or reduced-price school lunch program, can they still qualify for federal student aid? —Y.P. Yes. Students who don't qualify for the free or reduced-price school lunch program can still qualify for federal student aid and should submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA added a question about the ...

Does applying for financial aid ever limit one's chances of acceptance to a college? Do colleges give any subtle preference to students who state on their application that they do not need financial aid? For example, would it be advantageous for a student whose parents earn $150,000 and have adequate savings to tell a college costing $30,000 that they do not ...

Why should I fill in the FAFSA, opening up my financial life, when I know today that it will not get any aid for my children's college educations? We are not independently wealthy with millions in salary and savings, but we intend to have the kids compete for merit based, essay or other subjective determinants for college awards and scholarships. — ...

The U.S. Department of Education provides billions in student financial aid every year. But you won't see a penny of that unless you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can simplify the process with FAFSA on the Web. Are You Still Using Paper? If you have access to the Internet, either in your home, school, local ...

Submitting your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can be a complicated process. From digging through information on your family's assets to decoding income tax forms, filling out the FAFSA is a hassle, so why bother? Here are five reasons why it's worth it. 1. Federal Aid Do you want some of the more than $95 billion the federal government ...

Only 529 college savings plans that are owned by the student or the student's parents are reported as assets on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). So a 529 plan owned by a grandparent or other third party will not be reported as an asset on the FAFSA. However, qualified distributions from such a 529 plan are treated as ...

Filling out the FAFSA can be tricky. Keep these tips in mind and you shouldn't have any problems. Identify Yourself Use your legal name as it appears on your Social Security card. Nicknames or aliases will cause a processing delay. Read the questions carefully. The words "you" and "your" on the FAFSA always refer to the student, not the parents. To ...

It’s December 1st, which has us thinking about the FAFSA already. The FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is made available every January 1st to potential and current college and graduate students. It’s the document that decides your need for student aid—not unlike the way your mother decided your fate when she picked your outfit for third ...

Everyone has an idea of what their EFC (Expected Family Contribution) should be, but it typically never matches with what the FAFSA declares, leaving a lot of students and families clambering for more options to pay for school. Understanding how the EFC is determined and what happens after might lead to greater transparency into the process, helping you and your family ...

My son has brain damage along with seizures and a reading learning disability. With all the doctors appointments, hospital stays and seizures he is on academic probation this semester. So that means, well you know what that means, he will not be allowed to apply for FAFSA this semester. My question to you all is how can I afford to pay ...

When a college is considering your application, they weigh a variety of factors. One of them can potentially be whether or not you can afford to attend the school. Different schools have different policies when it comes to student need in admissions. The policies also affect whether the school will provide all, or only some, of your demonstrated need. While there ...

My daughter's father and I are divorced and I have remarried. Neither my previous nor my new husband are contributing toward my daughter's education, so I am paying all of the expenses myself. How can I show that in my taxes and on the FAFSA so the aid calculations are not made using twice the income that is actually being applied ...

How beneficial is it to have our college attending son file his taxes on his own versus us claiming him as a dependent? Does it make a huge difference in the amount of aid and/or scholarships he would receive? — Lois H. Whether or not a student is claimed as an exemption on his parents' federal income tax returns has no ...