Need Based Grants

[MoonSafari]

Can anyone tell me what the general criteria are for determining eligibility for these things?

They claim that grants are available for students with "demonstrated financial need". I can't think of a better candidate than myself, but apparently it doesn't seem I'm eligible.

Who is?

[Gone]

I don't know of any school that doesn't take parental assets into account, even for older students.

[just Trev]

if you're married with kids, how could they?  you don't report them on your fafsa or your taxes...

[heartbreaker]

if you're married with kids, how could they?  you don't report them on your fafsa or your taxes...

If you're under 29, you have to report your parents' financial information on Need Access.

[just Trev]

where does one find this "need access?"

[heartbreaker]

http://www.needaccess.org

It's a separate form and pretty much the most invasive thing in the world. You should check with your schools to see if they require Need Access though - not all schools do; some have their own separate application, but on that application, they will ask about parental info if you're under 29.

[just Trev]

not a very extensive list given on their website...

Alpert Medical School (Brown University)
American University Washington College of Law
Appalachian School of Law
Boston College Law School
Boston University School of Law
Brooklyn Law School
Case Western Reserve School of Medicine
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CWRU)
Columbia University Law School
Columbia University School of the Arts
Columbia University, College of Dental Medicine
Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons
Cornell University Law School
Cornell University Weill Medical College
Dartmouth Medical School
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
Duke University School of Medicine
Georgetown University Law Center
Harvard Law School
Harvard Medical School
Hofstra University School of Law
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Lynch School of Education and Psychology - Boston College
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Northwestern University School of Law
Stanford Law School
Stanford University School of Medicine
Suffolk University Law School
UCLA School of Dentistry
UCLA School of Law
UCLA School of Nursing
University of California - Berkeley School of Law
University of California - Davis School of Law
University of California - Hastings School of Law
University of California - Irvine School of Law
University of Chicago Law School
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
University of DC - David A. Clarke School of Law
University of Michigan Law School
University of New Mexico School of Law
University of Pennsylvania School of Law
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Rochester Medical School
Vanderbilt University Law School
Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania
Yale University Law School
Yale University Physician's Associate Program
Yale University School of Art
Yale University School of Drama
Yale University School of Medicine

i hope my schools don't require it.

[heartbreaker]

i hope my schools don't require it.

What sucks most is when you have some schools that require Need Access and some that have their own long application that asks for the same nonsense. Going through this twice would have made me lose my mind.

[Jamie Stringer]

I don't know of any school that doesn't take parental assets into account, even for older students.

HB is right in the 29 year old thing for some schools.  I can think of Harvard off the top of my head.

[MoonSafari]

Well, I'm going to Michigan for sure. FAFSA is done. I also filled out their questions that supposedly determine whether you qualify for grants. If you do, I believe it directs you to fill out Need Access. If you don't qualify, it sends you on your merry way. Which begs the question, though, of whether (at Mich.) people who don't qualify for grants still need to fill out Need Access. It certainly isn't very clear. Anyone who knows, please share.

Also, if parental iformation is so important in determining grant need, then why would Michigan have a question set that tells you if you're likely or not likely to qualify for need based grants BEFORE having you fill out Need Access? All these questions ask about are assets, previous debt and whether you received grants for undergrad.

And I just think it's a bit crazy that given I'm already in moderate debt, and have virtually no assets (negative net worth), I still don't seem to be a candidate for grants. Which returns me to my previous question: Who is?

I just don't get it...