Hello, everyone–
This is a great board. Feel free to refer me to relevant threads, but I’m really looking for individual stories (details disguised, PM ok, of course), as I already have the general idea.
I am 32, applying for fall 2012, genuinely financially independent, single in LTR, not making much money, substantial debt from a recent educational DEBACLE, frugal habits.
I have two sets of parents/stepparents. Debatable whether either of them will actually fill out the parent info on the FAFSA.
My mother and stepfather’s info would probably disqualify me from most grant aid. They do not plan to help except for the occasional plane ticket, etc…
My father and stepmother’s info would certainly disqualify me from any sort of aid whatsoever. But I have not been on speaking terms with them since 1998.
My questions:
- Would parents that have the $ to pay out of pocket (even if they won’t) disqualify me from the Primary Care Loan, subsidized Stafford, etc.?
- The few schools that do have merit aid (mirthless laugh)–do they require parent info. even for that? Yes, I know it varies by school, but maybe someone can speak from experience.
- Is it worth having, e.g., my estranged father sign a letter, “here’s my financial info, I’m giving it so that my daughter won’t automatically be disqualified, I wish her the best, not giving her a dime”?
- Overall, worth stirring the pot? In other words, I don’t want to start a multiple-year thing with either set if their good fortune (and decades of hard work) will just make the aid question moot. As you can imagine, it’s not as easy as “just get them to submit the info and see what happens.” If that were how it was, I wouldn’t be posting.
I’d appreciate any insight you can offer. (Please refrain from the poor-little-rich-girl flames–thanks! 
Best,
SC
You are 32? You dont have to give any parental info. You are independent.
I could be wrong, but i am 31 and havent put my parents name down yet.
So, as a general explanation as to why schools require parental information to determine need-based aid - according to my FA person, pretty much all med students applying have zero income on their FAFSA so the only way to distinguish people is by parental income. They acknowledge that non-trads are in a different situation, but they don’t really have an answer for that. Most non-trads might actually lose out if need-based aid was determined without using parental income as many work quite a bit and would have a higher income than the average med student going straight to med school out of undergrad.
1. Would parents that have the $ to pay out of pocket (even if they won't) disqualify me from the Primary Care Loan, subsidized Stafford, etc.?
No. All professional students are considered independent by the federal government and you do not have to provide parental information in order to be eligible for loans.
2. The few schools that do have merit aid (mirthless laugh)--do they require parent info. even for that? Yes, I know it varies by school, but maybe someone can speak from experience.
As you mentioned, it varies by school. (And you might be surprised how much merit based aid is out there). My school requires parental info in order to determine need based scholarships, but you are still eligible for merit based scholarships. Some schools require that you submit parental info in order to be eligible for ANY school-based aid.
3. Is it worth having, e.g., my estranged father sign a letter, "here's my financial info, I'm giving it so that my daughter won't automatically be disqualified, I wish her the best, not giving her a dime"?
Probably not. I feel you. I opted to give up any shot at need-based aid for a couple of years because my dad had married someone I had never met and I didn't feel comfortable asking for her financial info.
Okay. I see what the problem is here: samcooke has mixed-up the mandatory parental income reporting requirement to apply for the federal government’s Primary Care Loan (PCL), http://www.oucom.ohiou.edu/Aid/fin_aid_primary_c ar… and http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/DSA/pcl.htm , as being the norm for applying for other kinds of medical school financial aid. As posted by others, you don’t have to report your parents’ income for most types of medical school financial aid (like Stafford loans and the National Health Service Corps scholarship). PCL is only type of medical school financial aid that I know of off the top of my head that requires parental income reporting.
Thanks to everyone for your replies! I could be mistaken, but in reading the fin. aid sites, it seems that parent info. is very much required for institutional grant aid. See below. (I picked Harvard as a humorous example, not as a place I expect to go, but other sites say the same.)
http://www.hms.harvard.edu/finaid/html/faqs.html
Thanks again,
SC