Quick FAFSA question

[Goodfella Aaron]

If I'm no longer a dependent, do my parents still have to share financial info?

[Slow Blues]

Depends on the school. I know CLS still wants your parents' financial info regardless of your status.

[Goodfella Aaron]

Thanks! Do you know if there's a list somewhere or do I have to look at each individual school?

[Slow Blues]

Thanks! Do you know if there's a list somewhere or do I have to look at each individual school?

I looked it up at the schools' website. I think what I said was a little bit inaccurate. You don't have to provide your parents' financial info, per CLS, but I think their language basically implied that you probably won't be considered for any need-based aid.

[Goodfella Aaron]

The CLS website was pretty vague, what part did you read that on? It was the only school where I couldn't figure it out. The rest of my list, so everyone else knows, is:

Schools that don't require:
UVA
Northwestern
 
Schools that require:
Yale
 
Schools that only determine financial aid once you're accepted:
Harvard
 
Schools that only require for grants and not loans:
Cornell
Chicago
Michigan
Georgetown
Duke
Penn

[Slow Blues]

For purposes of establishing eligibility for the federal Stafford loan and the federal Work-Study programs, all graduate-level students are considered independent. This means that the FAFSA you submit does not require parental information, and that your eligibility for federal Stafford loans and/or federal Work-Study will be determined on the basis of your resources, and those of your spouse (if applicable).

However, for consideration for institutional funds, such as grants and Columbia University loans, and for establishing priorities for the federal Perkins loan program, complete family and parental information is required on the Need Access application. If your parents have separate households (unmarried, separated or divorced) then you must provide complete financial information for both parental households on the application, using passwords for each section if desired. In this era of scarce resources, our guiding policy is to assist students from the neediest families. Our institutional funds are distributed primarily to students with limited personal and family resources. Regardless of your age, marital status, or dependency status for tax purposes, our grant decision will be based on an analysis of your family's financial strength.

If parents refuse to give information, our policy is that no grant may be awarded, out of fairness to families that cooperate with our requirements.

CLS's interpretation of "grant" means low-rate loans from Columbia, Perkins loans, and also actual grants.

[Goodfella Aaron]

Thanks. It's winter break so my brain is still in neutral.

[2Legit]

wait, so if I want to be considered for need based grants, it's ok if I don't submit parental info on the FAFSA, as long as I do so on the Need Access?