January 17, 2012

All high school seniors who are planning to enter college in the fall will need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) before they can be considered for financial aid. Many colleges have a deadline of February 1,  so it is critically important that students complete their FAFSA. If your parents have not filed their Federal Income taxes, then use the amounts from the previous year federal income tax returns as an estimate to answer the questions on the FAFSA application. You can always return to the FAFSA website at any time to update the amounts.

Students who are planning to attend private colleges and universities may also be required to complete the CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE at the CollegeBoard website. You must do this in addition to the FAFSA and you must do so by the deadline established by the college or university that you plan to attend and to receive financial aid from.

Although there are a number of websites that will assist you with completing your FAFSA for a fee, you can simply go to the official government FAFSA website and complete the application at no charge. Any websites that charge you a fee, will still have to go to the government website to complete the official FAFSA application.

Be sure to file your completed FAFSA, keep track of your User ID, Password, and PIN. You will have to complete your FAFSA each year that you are in college and requesting financial aid.

Following are the important links: