ASSISTANT EDITOR
Kherz’den Humphrey
FAFSA is something that generally everyone is aware of; but how much do they really know? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is used by many states and colleges in order to award federal aid or notify about eligibility for it.
Availability for the new school year begins in October. However, there are different deadlines that should be watched for: state of Missouri priority deadlines are between Feb 1- April 1, federal deadline is around June 30.
“Keep track of deadlines, you can get extra money for being on time!” Emphasized Wade Williams, director of the Educational Opportunity Center (EOC). In the state of Missouri, if FAFSA is submitted by the priority deadline, there is potentially a thousand dollars of extra money to be received.
In order to fill out the application, there is a variety of information needed: Social Security number of the student (and parents if the student is a dependent), Alien registration number, tax information, as well as untaxed income records, cash or account balance information and investments. “Make sure you have all of the correct information needed before sitting down to fill it out,” advisds Williams.
There are many different helpful graphics displayed on the FAFSA website as well as a free assistance hotline number. Many people dread filling out the application each year, but don’t know about the different resources offered to make filing easier.
Over the years, the accessibility of FAFSA has improved, there is now an app available on both the Apple App Store, and Google Play Store. Along with the app, FAFSA has also paired with the IRS. You can now retrieve taxes from the Internal Revenue Service Data Retrieval Tool, making it easier to input tax information.
The application can be submitted one of three ways; electronically, mailed in or through your school. Crowder College offers assistance with filing FAFSA through the EOC. “Come to EOC when filling out FAFSA. We do over a thousand a year and have worked through every situation you could think of.” insisted Williams.
One major factor that many students don’t think about or consider is dependency status. On the FAFSA website there is a questionnaire available to help determine dependency. If you answer no to all, you are dependent. If you answer yes to any of the questions, you may be considered independent. Examples of dependency questions are: will you be 24 or older by Jan 1 of the school year, are you married or separated but not yet divorced, and do you have any dependents?
With FAFSA, there are a few different types of financial aid that a student can receive. Grants, scholarships, work-study jobs, loans and special aid for those in military families or international study. Colleges can also use the data to award scholarships of their own.
Grants received don’t need to be repaid, and can come in different forms. Pell, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity (FSEOG), Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher education (TEACH). Grants are also given to those who served in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Scholarships are free money given out, sometimes based on merit, talent or an area of study. With a work-study job, students can earn money to pay for school while working part-time at their school; Crowder offers many different opportunities for work-study, including working in the Bookstore. Loans are borrowed money that need to be repaid as well as any interest the loan may collect.
When it comes to filling out FAFSA, if a student knows they are dependent, they may not even bother filling it out at all. “We have kids all the time who don’t fill out FAFSA because they think their parents make too much and they won’t get anything. Then they miss out on potentially thousands of financial aid that they now have to pay out of pocket.” Williams addresses. “The worst that can happen is you get nothing, and lose thirty minutes of your time.”
Over the years, FAFSA has gained a pretty bad reputation. However, with new accessibility and resources, it can be quick and easy to fill out. The application is vital for college students, and shouldn’t be dreaded in the way that it is.
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