Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA for short. It contains determinations of eligibility for admission to federal student financial aid admissions programs. It also includes federal student loans, as well as federal work-study loans. Several things in it will be the basis for determining whether or not a student is eligible for a grant from the State Education Aid Program, including several other programs such as scholarships, there is also aid on a state basis, and it is also available for many other universities.
Pay Attention to These Dos and Don’ts
Therefore, it is important to ensure the completeness of the FAFSA that you submit. The following are some things you can and cannot do, including:
DO:
- Visit fsaid.ed.gov and get your ID. You and your parents must create and have a Federal Student Aid Personal Identification Number or FSA ID and ultimately sign the FAFSA electronically.
- Complete the data online at fafsa.ed.gov.
- The majority of financial information that must be entered on the FAFSA is based on your federal income tax form.
- Parents and students can mostly utilize the Data Retrieval Tool at the IRS to complete the FAFSA application.
- Passwords as well as FSA IDs must be properly secured. This FSA ID is as important as a bank PIN so don’t lose it or get it stolen.
- To get aid, you need to submit the FAFSA every new school year. Just use the previous year’s application history stored in FAFSA online, then just replace some of the most recent information.
- The FAFSA will refer to “you” or “your”, which means you as the student, NOT a family member or parent.
- Use the official name written on your Social Security card.
- Enter your Social Security Number or SSN carefully. SSN input errors will delay the FAFSA and cause you to miss college financial aid deadlines. Submit a copy of your Social Security card and birth certificate before your FAFSA error correction is processed.
- Select “yes” for the type of federal aid needed, such as student loans and work-study. Choose no to types of help that are not needed.
- Do the best possible review of the Student Aid Report or SAR received in your email after the FAFSA has been processed. Make sure all information is filled in correctly. FAFSA corrections can be made via fafsa.ed.gov.
Read also : Dos and Don’ts in Financial Aid Application
DON’TS
- Don’t delay and complete the FAFSA as soon as possible by October 1 of the secondary school year. Colleges may have earlier deadlines for the consideration process for grants, scholarships, and various other financial aid.
- Don’t neglect completing the FAFSA and always make sure you get all types of financial aid you are eligible for.
- Don’t think that completing the FAFSA is unnecessary. Scholarships are based on need or merit, but the FAFSA is needed for consideration.
- Don’t use a decimal point for financial sections. Decimals are not recognized in the process, so $300.00 could be misinterpreted as $30,000.
- Don’t miss out on signing the form with the appropriate federal FSA IDs of you and your parents.
- Don’t be fooled by people who ask for money to complete your FAFSA, because everything can be done for free.
- Don’t miss or delay filing FAFSA because all the types of educational aid you need are there and can help you.
These are the do’s and don’ts in getting educational financial aid that is important for you so you can get a decent education without worrying about money problems. Many people are too relaxed and instead miss this opportunity, so don’t be careless and prepare all the requirements so that you can get convenience in every process.