By Lauren Nguyen, News Editor
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2021-2022 school year has opened and all of FVHS’ seniors should submit their form as soon as possible. With all the documents and information at hand, it’s a simple process that can be completed in about 40 minutes. However, make sure you start on your application early to allow time for any problems that you might run into: confusing questions, information that you can’t locate on your documents and the whole lot of things that could happen throughout the detailed process. Here are some FAFSA facts that you should take into account when filling out the form.
- Many factors aside from income are considered.
The FAFSA takes into account the marriage status of the student’s parents, individual incomes of each parent, the number of dependent household members and additional assets the students’ household possesses. The FAFSA does not take into account merit, however. Merit is not considered by the federal sources of aid, but will be considered by the schools that are put on the list.
2. Regardless of income level, all students should apply.
There is no cutoff level of income for the FAFSA because there are so many factors that are taken into account. Rather, the information provided for the FAFSA give a good overall idea of the student’s financial situation which will be used to estimate and determine how much aid you will qualify for. There is a chance that one may end up only qualifying for work-study positions or loans, but historically most students qualify for aid and many others are eligible but don’t apply. There isn’t a definite way to know whether or not you will receive aid, but there is always a possibility and that’s worth filling out.
3. The FAFSA offers many types of aid.
You are also submitting your financial request for the state by applying for the FAFSA. Federal financial aid consists of Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, Federal Work Study and federal loans while California in particular offers the Cal Grant and the Student Success Completion Grant for California residents. Students may also qualify for work study positions, where they are offered particular job positions in their area and can earn a consistent amount of money. Some grants are also issued by the state or school. Once you are accepted into the schools listed on your FAFSA, the school will send you a prediction of the bill that you must pay and the aid that you will be issued. In some cases, the aid will be deducted from your annual tuition but in others, it may also come in the form of money for books and other costs.
4. You can add information after you submit the application.
Students will be able to add to their list of ten schools on the FAFSA and add any additional information after submitting their application without falling out of the running for financial aid because of a late application. This is not to say that students or their parents should submit inaccurate information as fillers, however; they should fill out the form to the best of their ability and seek the advice of financial aid professionals if they have any questions. If you do decide to alter the information you provided, make sure that you contact your counselor and the school that you have applied to that you will be altering the application, as the school may have started the FAFSA filing period.
5. It’s best to apply early.
The official deadline for the FAFSA is June 3, 2020. Many universities and colleges have their deadlines earlier in college application period (December and January) and review the financial aid eligibility of their students after students have been admitted, however. Students should fill out the FAFSA as early as possible for the best chance at receiving the most aid, since the FAFSA is on a first-come, first-serve basis and there is a possibility that the money could run out.
Get on your FAFSA applications, senior Barons. The filing period has already opened and your financial aid package awaits. For additional information, students can meet with College and Career Specialist Irene Yu in the College and Career Center in the administration building or contact Golden West College’s Financial Aid center at (714) 892-7711.
