"Do I Have To Fill Out the FAFSA?"

“Do I have to fill out the FAFSA? We won’t qualify for any need-based aid, so why should I bother?”

I see this question asked online all the time. And, the answer is: No, you don’t HAVE to fill out the FAFSA. But you SHOULD. Here’s why:

Many Colleges Require It - Even for Merit Aid Consideration

Many colleges will not consider a student for merit scholarships if they don’t complete the FAFSA. There are various reasons for this, but, in the end, if you want your student to be considered for all possible scholarships provided by their future college, filling out the FAFSA is the smart thing to do.

Circumstances Can Change

You never know when life is going to happen: a job loss, a life-changing illness, and, sadly, even deaths in the family. Even if you expect to cash flow your student’s college expenses, filling out the FAFSA is like an insurance policy, just in case the unexpected happens. You never know if a change in circumstances will lead to being qualified for need-based aid.

Some Outside Scholarships Require It

While there are thousands of outside scholarships that don’t consider financial need at all, even some of those scholarships require that students complete the FAFSA. Scholarships want to know that students are doing everything possible to fund their education, and completing the FAFSA is one way they judge this.

Where Do I Find Those Scholarships That Don’t Consider “Need”?

If you are reading this, you are likely one of those people who don’t expect to qualify for need-based financial aid. I was in the same boat when my son was going to college. Thankfully, we funded 2/3 of his college expenses with outside scholarships - none of which considered financial “need.” I have a free guide that lists the sites I recommend for finding scholarships. You can request your free copy here: www.scholarshipgps.com/scholarship-websites