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Financial Aid - when should I apply for?
Vanessa McHooley
Many different types of financial aid are available to you in the
form of scholarships, grants, and loans. With billions of dollars
at stake, it is important to begin the search process early and
to apply on time. Follow these guidelines for applying for
financial aid:
Three to four years before you plan to begin college…
Review your high school coursework and activities. Colleges will
look for challenging coursework, a good grade point average, and
extracurricular activities such as sports, volunteer work, and
community involvement.
Take the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) to prepare
for the standardized tests (SAT and ACT) that you’ll take later.
If you do well on the PSAT, you may be eligible to receive a
National Merit Scholarship.
Two years before you plan to begin college…
Begin researching your financial aid options by talking to your
career counselor and researching grants and scholarships through
books and the internet
Start planning to take the SAT and/or ACT exams, depending on
what is required by your college.
During your college visits, meet with a Financial Aid Officer to
find out what types of aid are available.
As soon as possible after January 1 of the year in which you
start college…
Contact the Financial Aid Offices at the colleges of your choice
for deadlines and additional documents they require
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Available at www.fafsa.ed.gov, this form is your key to most
financial aid, and to all Federal and state grants and loans.
When you complete your FAFSA, be sure to list all the schools
you’re interested in attending (up to six), even if you haven’t
yet been accepted. Be sure to keep copies of all of the forms you
submit.
Fill out your tax returns as early as possible so you have
accurate tax information for your FAFSA
Complete the CSS Financial Aid Profile if it is required by your
college
Find out which financial aid applications your college choices
require and when the forms are due.
Send midyear transcripts to the schools to which you have
applied.
About four weeks after you submit your FAFSA, you will receive a
Student Aid Report (SAR) that contains federal financial aid
information. Submit the SAR and, if requested, your tax forms to
the Financial Aid Office. Contact each office to make certain
that your application is complete. Find out what else you need to
do to establish and maintain your eligibility for financial aid.
This article is distributed by NextStudent. At NextStudent, we
believe that getting an education is the best investment you can
make, and we're dedicated to helping you pursue your education
dreams by making college funding as easy as possible. We invite
you to learn more on how Student loans are better than credit
cards at http://www.NextStudent.com.
My goal is to help every student succeed - education is one of
hte most important things a person can have, so I have made it my
personal mission to help every student pay for their education.
Aside from that, I am just a pretty average girl from SD.
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