The governments Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) provides the potential options for receiving college aid for qualifying students. The application process evaluates the financial need of the student based on their income and whether or not their parent’s income may be considered in the application process.
More then just a federal assistance loan program, the FAFSA also determines if students qualify for federal Pell Grants and-or work study programs. In addition, the student applicant’s information is passed onto the state and the school in determining if there are other local aid programs that may apply. ***more on college admission…
Applying for the FAFSA can be completed electronically online or in paper form which can be obtained from your schools financial aid department. The most important item to keep in mind is the FAFSA application deadline. If the deadline has passed, you still can apply for the FAFSA but you’ll have to apply using the paper form.
Keep in mind, your application can often take longer to process using the paper form and submitting it after the deadline. However, if you are approved for a subsidized or unsubsidized student loan it is not uncommon for your student loan disbursement to take several weeks.
If you find yourself in this situation where classes are about to or have already begun, discuss your tuition payment options with your financial aid department, the student fees office, or the bursar office at your school. Many schools provide the option to delay your tuition payment or a payment plan option with student fees making up the bulk of the first installment.
3 comments
Six Tips for Finding the Best College Professors for You says:
May 18, 2011 at 5:40 am (UTC -7)
[...] Work or volunteer at your college. This is more of a long-term solution, but it will give you an invaluable insider’s perspective on the best professors at your college. One way to get a job at your college is to apply for federal work study when you fill out your FAFSA. [...]
Massachusetts Investigates For Profit Colleges says:
May 23, 2011 at 4:42 am (UTC -7)
[...] encouraged undercover investigators posing as students to “falsely add dependents” on the FAFSA form “in order to qualify for Pell Grants” and 2 more colleges encouraged the students to not [...]
Maximize Your Federal Student Aid says:
June 4, 2011 at 10:06 am (UTC -7)
[...] On a side note, some students from wealthier families believe that completing the fasfa is a waste of time, since their family’s income disqualifies them from receiving financial aid. This is a myth! One important form of financial aid that is not based on income is the Unsubsidized Stafford Loan. This student loan comes with a fixed interest rate of 6.8 percent, which is better than what most private student loans offer. You can qualify for this loan even if your parents are wealthy, so every student should be completing their FAFSA form. [...]