Should we complete FAFSA for military-bound son with AA degree as backup plan?

Absolutely complete the FAFSA regardless of her current plans! There's zero downside to filing it, and it leaves all her options open. The new FAFSA takes time to process, and submitting early gives her the best chance at maximum aid if she does end up attending college. Remember, the 2025-2026 FAFSA opens December 1, 2024, and many schools have priority deadlines as early as January/February for the best financial aid packages.

yes do the fafsa!!!! my son was 100% sure he was going to trade school and last minute decided on community college instead. we hadnt done fafsa and scrambled to get it done in july. missed out on so many grants bc we were late. just do it!!

I'd suggest filling it out. My daughter was absolutely committed to joining the Navy after high school, filled out zero college applications, and then failed the physical at MEPS due to an old sports injury they discovered. We were completely unprepared for her suddenly needing to attend college and had missed all the financial aid deadlines. It was a NIGHTMARE trying to pull together college plans at the last minute without financial aid. Don't make our mistake!!

As a financial aid advisor, I strongly recommend completing the FAFSA as insurance. There are a few important factors to consider: 1. The FAFSA application is valid for the entire academic year, so even if your daughter enlists and then changes her mind months later, the application remains active 2. Having an AA degree actually affects her SAI (Student Aid Index, formerly EFC) calculation positively as she'll be considered for higher aid amounts as a third-year student 3. Military plans can sometimes face unexpected delays or changes due to various factors (medical issues, changing recruitment needs, etc.) 4. Some military education benefits actually work in conjunction with FAFSA-based aid, not against it There's no downside to completing it - you don't have to accept any aid offered if she doesn't need it.

Fill it out!!! My cousin was all set to join Marines but then broke his leg 2 weeks before ship date and got medically disqualified!!! Had to scramble for college and missed out on thousands in financial aid. Better safe than sorry

I tried calling Federal Student Aid to ask about this same situation for my son (also military-bound with a possible college backup plan), and I was on hold for TWO HOURS before giving up. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent within 15 minutes. The agent confirmed that filing FAFSA doesn't interfere with military benefits at all and actually recommended doing it as a safety net. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/TbC8dZQWYNQ

Another thing to consider - if your daughter does enlist and then decides to use her military education benefits later, having FAFSA on file can actually help! Many veterans use both GI Bill AND traditional financial aid. My nephew is doing this now and gets way more support than his battle buddies who only use GI Bill.

Thank you all for the advice! I'm definitely going to complete the FAFSA now just to be safe. Better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. We'll plan to submit as soon as it opens in December so we don't miss any priority deadlines if she does end up going to college instead of the Air Force.