Do you HAVE to fill out FAFSA for college? First-time mom confused about requirements

Technically, FAFSA isn't \

Thank you! I had no idea about the merit scholarships requiring FAFSA. My daughter has a 3.8 GPA so we're hoping for some merit aid. So even though we make too much for Pell Grants, it sounds like we should still complete it. Is there any downside to filling it out if we end up not needing the aid?

FILL IT OUT!!! My son didn't qualify for any

Omg that's terrifying! I would have made the same mistake. Did you have to provide all your tax info? That's the part that makes me nervous.

Yes but its actually really easy now with the IRS data retrieval tool. It pulls everything directly from your taxes. Took like 20 min total!

I agree with the others - definitely complete the FAFSA. But here's something nobody mentioned yet - even if you don't qualify for need-based aid, FAFSA is required for federal student loans like Direct Unsubsidized loans. These have fixed interest rates and better repayment options than private loans.\n\nAlso, your financial situation could change during college (job loss, medical expenses, etc.), and having FAFSA on file makes it easier to request adjustments if needed.\n\nFor the 2025-2026 year, you'll use your 2023 tax information. The application opens December 1, 2024. Some schools also require the CSS Profile for institutional aid, which is more detailed than FAFSA.

The css profile is a nightmare tho. Sooo many more questions than fafsa. Only needed for private schools usually.

I work in a financial aid office. While FAFSA isn't technically required by federal law, most schools now require it for ANY type of financial aid - including merit scholarships, athletic scholarships, and even some departmental awards.\n\nWith your income, you probably won't qualify for need-based grants, but you might be surprised. The new FAFSA uses a Student Aid Index (SAI) instead of the old Expected Family Contribution (EFC), and it calculates differently. You should absolutely fill it out.\n\nAlso important: some states have EARLY priority deadlines for state grants that require FAFSA. For example, Illinois runs out of MAP grant money very early. What state are you in?

We're in Ohio. I didn't know about state deadlines being different! And I hadn't heard about the SAI replacing EFC. Is that new for the 2025-2026 application?

Ohio's state grant deadline is typically October 1st AFTER the academic year begins, but always check for updates. And yes, the SAI calculation started with the 2024-2025 FAFSA and continues for 2025-2026. It's generally more generous for middle-income families with multiple children in college.

That's good news about the SAI calculation. My younger son will be in college two years after my daughter starts, so we'll have overlap. Is there anywhere I can estimate what our SAI might be before filling out the actual FAFSA?

Just wanna chime in that FAFSA has been absolutely USELESS for my family. We make around $140k and got ZERO federal aid. Complete waste of time sharing all our financial info for nothing. If you have decent income don't bother unless the specific college requires it for merit scholarships.

This isn't great advice. Even if you don't qualify for federal grants, FAFSA is required for federal student loans, which have much better terms than private loans. Also, many state grants and institutional funds require FAFSA regardless of income level.

Fine but they should be upfront that its mostly about LOANS not free money for middle class families. The whole system is designed to push debt.

my daughter started last year and we didnt do fasfa at first cause we didnt think we'd get anything. big mistake!!! had to rush to fill it out when we found out her merit scholarship required it. dont be like us lol

Here's another reason to complete the FAFSA: Work-study positions on campus are only available to students who've filed FAFSA. These jobs are convenient because they're on campus with flexible hours designed around student schedules, and they don't count against future financial aid the way off-campus income might.\n\nAlso, don't forget that if your student will be attending a private college or university, they may require the CSS Profile in addition to FAFSA. That form opens October 1, 2024 for the 2025-2026 academic year.

I didn't know about work-study requiring FAFSA! My daughter definitely wants to work during college, so that's another good reason to fill it out. Thanks for explaining this.

Everyone saying to fill it out is right. But what they're not telling you is how FRUSTRATING the process can be! My daughter is in college now and we've had to fill it out twice. First time wasn't too bad, but last year the new system was a NIGHTMARE. Kept getting errors, website crashing, and then we got selected for verification (basically an audit).\n\nTried calling Federal Student Aid for weeks. FINALLY used a service called Claimyr that got me through to an actual human at FSA. You can see how it works at https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ - saved me hours of redailing. Their website is claimyr.com and it was honestly worth it to get my issues fixed.\n\nSo yes, fill out FAFSA, but be prepared for potential headaches!

omg the verification thing happened to us too!!! so annoying. had to send in all these extra documents.

Yeah, they randomly select a percentage of applications every year. Such a pain! Did you eventually get it sorted out?

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice! I'm definitely going to fill out the FAFSA now - sounds like it would be a huge mistake not to. I'll mark December 1st on my calendar to get it done right away. Really appreciate all the explanations!

Glad to help! One last tip: create your FSA ID for yourself and one for your daughter NOW, before the application opens. Sometimes the verification process for new FSA IDs can take a few days, and you don't want that delaying you when the application opens in December.

That's great advice! Going to do that this weekend. Thanks again!