If You Want Financial Aid Fill Out a FAFSA

by Max Hargis
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or otherwise known as FAFSA is acknowledged as a very important procedure for all college goers. It assists in ascertaining the suitability of the student to get any financial aid for their education. The form should be filed in before any financial assistance can be granted, such as loans, work study programs and grants. Various types of information will be collected on the FAFSA. Personal informatidon such as social security number, date of birth, and contact information is required. Expect to answer questions about income, living arrangements, school enrollment, education level and the like. These details will be based on your parents' income, if you are below the age of 21. There is some exclusion to this point, for which it's best if you clarify with a financial aid advisor or check on the website. To complete the questions, you will need a copy of your tax return, or your parents, and possibly bank statements for accounts that accrue interest. Wherever necessary you may choose to make corrections. But it is much better if you are aware of all details and know the correct answers. To this end, ensure that all the details and related documents are ready for you to cross check. Most importantly, make it a point that you submit the application before the deadline, which can differ for your school from that of the Government. It is best to keep a check on this. You can submit your application either via the FAFSA website or can request for an application form and mail it in. If you want to use the website to fill your application, you would be first required to register for an account by creating a login and a password. You will then be given a PIN number which is automatically generated. This PIN can also be requested by mail if you choose so. You have the option of filling in the form at your convenience and you can save whatever information you have filled in and resume any time later. Once the online application is submitted, you receive a confirmation by email as well as a reference number. The information provided on the FAFSA will calculate an estimated family contribution, commonly referred to as EFT. If the EFT is 0, you are not expected to have to pay for a portion of tuition costs. However, if the EFT is above 0 then you are responsible for paying some towards your education. Even if the student is not eligible for state or federal grants the FAFSA should still be completed. This helps to ensure that the student can obtain loans, work study, and apply for scholarships.Once the FAFSA results are declared, the school will contact the student if any further details are required to support the application, such as tax returns copy, W-2, or any other financial or personal details. This procedure is known as verification which is not done for all students. Once this procedure has finished, the student can be granted financial assistance.