Do I need to submit FAFSA if I won't qualify for need-based aid but want merit scholarships?

YES! Submit the FAFSA regardless of your income level. Many people make this mistake thinking FAFSA is only for Pell Grants or subsidized loans, but it's much more than that. Here's why you should still submit: 1. Many colleges require FAFSA for ALL types of aid, including merit scholarships 2. Some schools have higher income thresholds than you might expect, especially expensive private colleges 3. It makes you eligible for unsubsidized federal loans, which have better terms than private loans if you need them 4. Your financial situation could change (job loss, medical expenses) and having FAFSA on file makes adjustments easier The Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation considers more than just income - assets, family size, number in college all factor in. Don't automatically assume you won't qualify for anything!

I didnt fill it out last year cuz we make good $ and it was a HUGE mistake!!!! my son got into his dream school but couldnt get ANTHING from them, even tho he had perfect grades and test scores. turns out they required fafsa even for merit $$$. ended up at his 3rd choice school instead. DONT MAKE MY MISTAKE

Financial aid professional here. The answer is unequivocally yes, you should complete the FAFSA. While your income may place you above the threshold for need-based federal grants, many institutions use the FAFSA for their own institutional aid decisions, including merit-based scholarships. Regarding the CSS Profile, approximately 200 mostly private institutions require this in addition to the FAFSA. The Profile provides a more detailed financial picture and may actually work in your favor at higher-cost institutions, as it considers factors that FAFSA doesn't. Also, the federal student loan programs available through FAFSA submission provide important safeguards not found in private loans, such as income-driven repayment options, potential forgiveness programs, and fixed interest rates. These can be valuable regardless of your income level. Finally, the effort required to complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA has been significantly reduced with the implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Most tax information transfers automatically from the IRS.

I was in the exact same boat last year! We make about $210k and I almost didn't bother with FAFSA. My coworker convinced me to just do it, and I'm SO glad I did. My daughter didn't get any federal grants, but three of the five schools she applied to required FAFSA submission for consideration for their own institutional scholarships. She ended up getting a $22,000/year merit scholarship at her top choice school that she wouldn't have been eligible for without having FAFSA on file. The new FAFSA is actually much easier than it used to be. Took me maybe 45 minutes total. Absolutely worth it!

I'm going against the grain here but honestly, it depends on the schools. My son applied to all public universities, and we checked with each one - 4 out of 5 explicitly stated their merit scholarships did NOT require FAFSA. Only one did. So we only filled it out for that one school. The CSS Profile was completely unnecessary for us since he didn't apply to any schools that required it. My advice: make a list of the schools your daughter is interested in, then check their financial aid websites or call their financial aid offices directly. Don't waste time on forms you don't need.

do it!!!! my kid got denied a scholarship cuz we didnt do fafsa!! they said it was required even tho it wasnt need based!!!! we make way too much for government $ but school still wanted to see it

I've been dealing with financial aid offices for YEARS (3 kids in college) and it's been a nightmare trying to get through to anyone. Long hold times, disconnects, repeat calls... if you're running into this problem while trying to get answers about FAFSA requirements, I recommend using Claimyr. It holds your place in line and calls you back when an agent is available. Saved me hours of frustration when I needed to sort out my youngest's verification issues. You can see how it works at claimyr.com or check out their demo at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - totally worth it when you're stuck on hold forever.

btw if ur kid gets any scholarships make sure u ask if they require fafsa EVERY YEAR to renew!!! my daughters scholarship needed new fafsa each year and we almost lost it sophomore year when we forgot!!!

To answer your question about the CSS Profile: You can find the complete list of schools requiring it on the College Board website. For the 2025-2026 academic year, approximately 200 schools require it. Mostly private colleges and universities, along with some highly selective public institutions. The CSS Profile costs $25 for the first school and $16 for each additional school, though fee waivers are available for eligible families. Unlike FAFSA, there's a charge to submit it. If you're primarily looking at public universities, you likely won't need the CSS Profile, but always check the financial aid requirements for each school on your daughter's list to be certain.

Another thing to consider - federal student loans! Even if you don't get grants, having a FAFSA on file makes your daughter eligible for federal direct loans, which have MUCH better terms than private student loans. Fixed interest rates, income-based repayment options, potential forgiveness programs, etc. My son is taking a small federal loan even though we could cover costs, just to build credit history and have the flexible repayment options.

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I'm definitely going to submit the FAFSA now. Sounds like the potential benefits far outweigh the time investment, especially with the simplified form. I'll also check the College Board website for the CSS Profile schools and see if any on our list require that too. Really appreciate all the advice and personal experiences shared here!

Great decision! Just wanted to add one more tip since you mentioned checking CSS Profile schools - make sure to also look at the financial aid deadlines for each school on your daughter's list. Some have much earlier deadlines than others (I've seen some as early as November for early decision applicants), and missing a deadline can mean missing out on institutional aid even if you submit everything else perfectly. Create a spreadsheet with all the schools, their FAFSA/CSS requirements, and their specific deadlines. It saved my sanity during application season! Good luck with everything - sounds like your daughter is lucky to have such a thorough parent helping navigate this process.

As a newcomer to this whole process, I'm so grateful for this thread! My son is just a junior in high school, but reading all these responses has already saved me from making what could have been a costly mistake. I was definitely in the "we make too much money for financial aid" camp and wasn't planning to bother with FAFSA. Now I'm realizing I need to start researching each school's requirements early. Quick question - when you all mention checking financial aid websites for requirements, is this information usually easy to find? Or do you really need to call each school's financial aid office directly like some have suggested?

Just wanted to chime in as someone who works in college admissions - you absolutely should submit the FAFSA! I see this question come up a lot from families in your income bracket. What many parents don't realize is that "need-based aid" isn't just federal Pell Grants. Many colleges use the FAFSA data to determine eligibility for their own institutional grants and scholarships, even ones labeled as "merit-based." The school needs to see your financial picture to make those determinations. Also, don't underestimate how the formula works - with $195k income, you might still qualify for some aid at higher-cost private schools where total attendance costs can exceed $80k per year. The Student Aid Index calculation is more complex than just looking at gross income. One more thing - if your daughter ends up at a school where she's in the top tier of admitted students academically, schools often offer more generous aid packages to attract those students, regardless of the family's ability to pay full price. Having FAFSA on file keeps all those doors open!

As someone who just went through this process last year, I can't stress enough how important it is to submit the FAFSA regardless of your income! We're in a similar situation - household income around $180k - and I initially hesitated because I thought we wouldn't qualify for anything. What really surprised me was that even some "automatic" merit scholarships at state schools still required FAFSA on file, even though the awards were based purely on GPA and test scores. It wasn't always obvious from the school websites either - sometimes it was buried in the fine print or mentioned during campus visits. The new simplified FAFSA really is much easier than the old version. It took me maybe 30 minutes since most of the tax info transfers automatically. Given that merit scholarships can be worth tens of thousands of dollars, that 30 minutes was definitely worth the investment! Also wanted to add that having the FAFSA completed early in the process made it much easier when we needed to provide financial documentation for scholarship applications later on. Some private scholarships (outside of the colleges themselves) also require it.

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so glad I found this thread! My daughter is a high school senior and we're in almost the exact same situation - household income around $200k and I was definitely leaning toward skipping the FAFSA because I assumed we wouldn't qualify for anything. Reading everyone's experiences has been eye-opening, especially the stories about missing out on merit scholarships that required FAFSA submission even though they weren't need-based. I'm particularly struck by the point about federal student loans having better terms than private loans. Even if we can cover most costs, having that safety net with better repayment options seems smart. And knowing that the new FAFSA only takes 30-45 minutes makes it seem silly NOT to do it when the potential upside is so significant. One question for those who've been through this recently - are there any common mistakes or gotchas to watch out for when completing the FAFSA? I want to make sure I don't mess anything up that could delay processing or affect aid eligibility. Thanks again to everyone who shared their experiences - this thread has been incredibly helpful!

As a newcomer who's been lurking and learning from this amazing thread, I wanted to add my perspective as someone currently going through this process. My son is a senior and we're at around $190k household income - I was absolutely planning to skip FAFSA until I read all these responses! What really convinced me was the combination of stories about merit scholarships requiring it AND the point about federal loans having better terms. Even if we can swing the costs, having those protections and repayment options seems crucial given how much college costs have risen. I just completed our FAFSA yesterday after reading this thread, and honestly it was way easier than I expected with the new simplified version. The automatic tax data transfer was a game-changer - took maybe 40 minutes total. For anyone else on the fence: the potential downside of spending an hour on paperwork versus the potential upside of missing thousands in aid/scholarships makes this a no-brainer. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - you potentially saved our family from a very costly mistake!

As a newcomer to this community, I can't thank everyone enough for sharing their experiences! My daughter is a senior and we're at $185k household income - I was completely planning to skip the FAFSA until I found this thread. Reading about families missing out on merit scholarships worth tens of thousands of dollars just because they didn't submit FAFSA has been a real wake-up call. The point about federal loans having better terms really resonates too. Even if we can cover most costs upfront, having those income-driven repayment options and protections as a backup seems incredibly valuable given how uncertain the job market can be these days. I'm definitely submitting our FAFSA this week! One follow-up question for those who've been through this - should we be completing it before she submits all her college applications, or is it okay to do it after? I want to make sure we don't miss any early scholarship consideration deadlines. Thanks again for potentially saving us from a very expensive mistake!