Another FAFSA Question?

The FAFSA website states "
You may want to answer the parental questions if:

* You are a health profession student (such as a medical or nursing student), or
* The school requires parental information from all student"

I have an option of filling out my parents financial information b/c I plan to attend optometry school next year. Is there benefits in adding my parent's financial information or could this hurt my financial aid package?

when you enter in a professional program, they have their criteria that supersedes the department of education; especially when it comes to being independent. Even if you are 24, they can ask for your parents tax information b/c you can't afford to pay for their program on your own. The fafsa will combine both income as well as people in household, etc. The only thing you may qualify for is loans, unless your state offer grants for professional students.

If you're classified as a dependent student, then most likely your school will require you to fill out the parental information part. If you're an independent, you don't have to worry about those questions. So if you're a dependent and you leave it blank, most likely your school will ask you to provide the information even if it says you can skip it on the fafsa.