Critical Documents 77
college before any financial aid other than an ath-
letic scholarship can be awarded to you. Mail it in the
enclosed envelope.
Some parents don’t complete the FAFSA. They may
believe they will not qualify for any type of aid because
their income is too high. As stated earlier: assume nothing.
Others may determine that they won’t divulge the per-
sonal and tax return information requested on the FAFSA.
While I appreciate a desire for
privacy, it is probably fool-
ish to be stubborn in this
circumstance. The requested
information is very similar to
that on your tax return. It is
a mistake not to complete
and mail the FAFSA. Unlike
the IRS, which wants to loot
your money, colleges use the
information on the FAFSA to
award you money.
Factors other than income
influence eligibility for fed-
eral or state financial aid. And
state financial aid is almost always calculated based on the
formula (called Federal Methodology) the Department of
Education’s computers use to evaluate the information
provided on the FAFSA. And state financial aid is more eas-
ily awarded because state standards are often less demand-
ing than the federal financial aid standards. Your financial
aid forms are sent to a central processing unit in Illinois.
Computers crunch the data and determine how much you
3
The
Tr uT h Is
Many families with
incomes in the
six-figure range
are receiving need-
based financial aid.
No kidding.
And no cheating.