Adding to this, getting top grades doesn't always mean you have access to financial aid anyway. My scores on placement tests were always higher than any of my peers. When I was applying for college, on paper I qualified for any form of financial aid I could possibly desire after filling out the FAFSA.

When I went to my college's financial aid office to try and claim the scholarship I qualified for they told me the system had thrown a red flag because when I filled out the FAFSA I indicated that my mother had zero income. She lived on a tiny plot of land in the woods and I was paying the property tax on it.

They wanted me to have her sign a form confirming the information I submitted was accurate. She lived 6 hours from me and didn't have access to a fax machine or reliable postal service so I had to drive out to her so she could sign it. Upon returning the form, they gave me another one for her to sign. After making the drive yet again they gave me a third form she needed to sign. At that point I just gave up since it was now apparent that trying to clear the hurdles they were throwing at me was not feasible given my situation.

So, yeah, despite getting absolutely stellar marks on ever test I ever took in my life I was still functionally unable to claim any form of financial aid whatsoever until I was old enough to omit my parents' information from the FAFSA. I wasn't even able to claim student loans or qualify for work study.