If i lie and check "parents wont file" on fafsa?

Question

my parents make too much money for me to receive financial aid but yet not enough to support me i am wondering if i were to check "parents wont file" what would the consequence be

Answer 1

They won't give you aid if your parents don't fill out the FAFSA application. Most private colleges also require Profile or their own forms in addition to FAFSA. Thos ask for far more, like value of homes and cars.

What parent wants to pay hefty college bills. If it were that easy everyone woulld do it.

Your situation is very common. There are many, many families that have not saved for college and spend all their earnings. If this is the situaion, kids have 3 choices. They can go to a cheap college, borrow heavily or they can seek merit aid by applying to colleges they where they will be at the very top of the applicant pool.

Answer 2

Just to elaborate- one-third of all FAFSA's are checked.  Colleges do the checking, because if they don't, they can lose their accreditation.  If you are found out to have lied, you could go to prison and/or have a $20,000 fine.  The least of what would happen is that you would be blacklisted by most schools.

Answer 3

You could do time in federal prison for lying on a federal form.

It's not worth it. Delay going to school for a little while and work for money instead.

Some schools will need you to fill out the FAFSA to show you can't get government money, and then they will offer you scholarships. But they want to save the scholarship money for people who CAN'T get government money.