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My parents were asking me to find out about how their income would affect the amount of aid that I would get.

Are there any websites from the federal gov. that will provide me with this information? IS there like a cutoff or maximum income allowable in order to receive the aid. Secondly, are there any aid where I don't have to pay back. I'm assuming the only thing like that is a scholarship, but correct me if I'm wrong.

I'm a junior. When should I start applying? Filing the forms online during the summer is too early or no? Should I wait until my fall term senior to start filing?

Thanks!

By Emeraldkity4 (Emeraldkity4) on Saturday, May 31, 2003 - 10:49 am: Edit

Some schools only offer need based aid.
To get an idea of what your expected family contribution will be, gather your relevant numbers and use the calculator at www.finaid.org.

the amount needed to pay for allowable expenses will vary by school- say your expenses are $40,000 a year.If your EFC is $36,000 you would get aid from a combination of loans, grants and workstudy ( if your school guarentees to meet 100% of need), for anything over $36,000.

The FAFSA ( federal form) cannot be filed till January 1st of the year that you will be starting college. If you will be a senior in high school in 2003-2004 then, you can't fill out FAFSA till January 1st 2004.
The PROFILE ( what many private schools use) can be filled out earlier, I think in November of the year before your first semester.
But as far as looking for merit scholarships you can do that now, go to www.fastweb.com to register for a free scholarship search of possiblitites.