<prompt> Human: Ok so my parents are able to contribute very little to none to college in the upcoming year. I have 4,000 saved up for college and have been applying for scholarships and grants. When I apply for financial aid and it asks for my families net income, which is 150,000 and then their assets is nearly four times that. The problem is we live in an incredibly expensive area and the assets are their retirement savings, but it shows up as assets due to how it was set up originally. My grades are well above average, I have been involved in various clubs and sports, worked two jobs, and worked on my local congressmens campaign. What is the best approach to get financial aid and not walk out of college with 40k in loans?  <response>: Most financial aid especially the FAFSA requires you to supply parental information regardless of whether they are actually contributing. 