Tips for Completing Your FAFSA Form (And Why You Need One)

It’s that time of year again. If you’re taking college classes and you don’t want to foot the bill all by yourself, you’ll need to get moving on your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, affectionately referred to as the FAFSA form. This is the gateway to student financial aid and assistance. States, schools and college scholarship programs use it to determine whether or not you’re financially eligible or in need of assistance to pay for school. The FAFSA should be completed as soon after January 1 of the calendar year for which you want the money. In other words, even if you’re not in school now and you plan to attend in September, it’s time to tackle the form.

FAFSA Renewal

If you filled one out for last year and you need funding for college this year, you can fill out a renewal instead of doing a new one. You only need to complete the information that has changed. This saves time and energy, which leaves more for researching and applying for
college scholarships. You should receive notification from either your university or the U.S. Department of Education that you are eligible to use the renewal form instead of starting over from scratch.

Is it Required?

You aren’t required to fill out a financial aid form unless you want help paying for college through a multitude of programs. Even then, receiving money for college isn’t guaranteed, and you will have to pay back any student loans. Grants and scholarships generated from use of the FAFSA don’t have to be paid back. In order to qualify, you must meet numerous eligibility requirements for the funding, including being a U.S. citizen with a high school diploma, an equivalency certificate or verifiable completion of a homeschooling program.

College Scholarships

There are many college scholarships available to help subsidize your education. Some scholarship applications require you to fill out a FAFSA; others don’t. They will specify. Not all college scholarship awards are based on financial need or even on academics. You can find opportunities that are related to your intended major or career choice, or perhaps athletic or artistic talents, for example.

Supplying Information

One nice thing about the FAFSA is that you can do the paperwork online. You’ll need to set up an account if you don’t have one already. The form can be intimidating, especially because it asks for a lot of personal information, but you can receive some benefits from trudging through it. If you have questions about filling out the form, ask the financial aid office of the school where you plan to attend. You can also use a mobile app with a FAFSA Checker to help you. It’s very important that the information you supply is accurate and complete. If you don’t know the answers to certain questions, leaving the form blank is not your best option. If you fail to supply necessary information, this will only delay your application.

Author Bio: Nicole is an independent writer for CollegeAnswer.com. College Answer offers information on saving, planning and paying for college.
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Photo by Tulane Public Relations