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Funding Your Education 1997-98Applying for Financial Aid (part 2 of 3) |
CreditsSourceU.S. Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary EducationContentsCredits and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction Education after High School Paying Tuition and Other Costs Federal Pell Grants Campus-Based Aid Programs Federal and Direct Stafford Loans PLUS Loans (Loans for Parents) Stafford and PLUS Loan Questions Applying for Financial Aid Eligibility Criteria Deadlines and Verification Contacting the Department Reducing the Cost of School Taking the Next Step ForumsEducation and KidsRelated ArticlesPreparing Your Child For CollegeCollege Planning for Gifted and Talented Youth Getting Ready for College Advising High School Students with Learning Disabilities |
What kind of information do I need to put on my application?The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) asks for your family's financial information. When you complete the 1997-98 FAFSA or FAFSA Express, you'll need your parents' 1996 U.S. income tax return. If you filed a return, you'll need yours too. Referring to the tax forms makes it easier to answer the FAFSA questions. If you won't have your tax form in time to use it when filling out the FAFSA, you can estimate your answers and then correct them later. Bank statements, W-2 forms, and business/farm records might also be helpful. Save all of the forms you refer to when completing the FAFSA because you might need them later if your school asks you to show that the information on your FAFSA is correct. If the information is incorrect, you won't get any aid until you correct it. It's a good idea to keep a photocopy of your completed FAFSA or a printout of your application from FAFSA Express. On the FAFSA, you can list schools you're interested in attending, and those schools will get the results of your FAFSA after it's been processed. Each school that participates in at least one of our programs has a Title IV Institution Code. This code must be listed in the "Releases and Signatures" section of the FAFSA so that each school you are interested in can get your information. You can get Title IV codes from a college or career school financial aid office, your high school, or your local public library. FAFSA Express comes with a built-in, searchable Title IV Institution Code list. You can also find a searchable list here on the World Wide Web. You aren't required to list any schools on your paper FAFSA, but if you do so, the school you decide on can deliver your aid faster. If you're using FAFSA Express, you must list at least one school in the "Releases and Signatures" section of the application. Where can I get a copy of FAFSA Express?To get a free copy of FAFSA Express, visit the Department's World Wide Web site and follow the instructions for downloading the program. The address is www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html. You can also get a copy of FAFSA Express on 3.5-inch diskettes by calling 1-800/801-0576 If you don't have a home computer, check with your high school or local library or the facility you are now using to find out if it has a copy of FAFSA Express on a personal computer for public use. Where can I get a paper FAFSA?You can get a paper FAFSA (or a Spanish version of the FAFSA) from your high school, the college or career school you plan to attend, or our Federal Student Aid Information Center. The address and telephone number are Federal Student Aid Information Center
The college or career school you attend can give you any other forms you might need. Applying for all of our programs is free. You must apply using an original FAFSA. The CPS will not accept photocopies of FAFSAs, nor will it accept faxes of FAFSAs. When can I apply?For 1997-98, you should apply as soon after January 1, 1997 as possible. You can't apply before this date. Don't complete FAFSA Express before January 1, 1997. Don't transmit FAFSA Express data before January 1, 1997, and don't sign, date, or mail your paper FAFSA before January 1, 1997. If you do any of these things, your application will not be processed, and you must reapply. Your eligibility is determined one award year at a time. The results from your 1997-98 application are good only for the 1997-98 award year (July 1, 1997 to June 30, 1998 and any summer terms that your school considers part of that award year). Because your circumstances can change greatly from one year to the next, you must complete an application each award year. After you've applied for the first time, you might be able to apply easier and faster in subsequent award years by completing a Renewal FAFSA. With a Renewal FAFSA, you have to fill out only the information that changed from the previous award year. There is no "renewal" version of FAFSA Express. If you've already applied for aid for one award year and you want to use FAFSA Express in subsequent award years, you must complete the entire program each year (regardless of how you originally applied). On to Part 3 of Applying for Financial Aid
Stafford and PLUS Loan Questions |
