Looking for financial aid to fund your study? If you plan to go to college or graduate school, you should apply for financial aid; even you don’t think you will qualify. Although financial aid just pays for only a small part of the tuition fee, it is still money that your family doesn’t have to pay out from their pocket. Applying for financial aid shouldn’t be that complicated, here are some tips to guide you.
Most of colleges do have financial aids offer to their students. So, the first thing you should do is meet the financial aid officer at each college where you are applying for admission. You can schedule an appointment with the officer during your campus visit; if you can’t meet him personally, make a phone call or contact him through email. The purpose of the meeting is to understand in details what are the financial aids offered to the students from that colleges. Remember to check out the deadline of each financial aids application submission date. Get all your questions answered by the financial aid officer and make sure you understand all the requirements and support documents need to be attached with your application before you submit it.
Another tip is, apply first even you have not decided to go to the college yet. Because financial aids often awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, and the school may close the application submission even before the deadline reach. So if you wait until the acceptance letters arrive, you will most likely to miss out. You may apply more than one financial aid, and later decides which offer to accept, if you receive more than one offer.
The first step in apply any of financial aids, either offer by community college, four-year college, or university, you need to first fill up the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which enable you to receive financial aid from federal government programs. You just need to file one copy regardless the number of admissions you apply for. Always plan to file the FAFSA on or as soon your senior year in high school as possible, because the earlier you apply the faster you will receive your results and the more aid you are likely to get. The fastest way to apply the financial aid is through internet and you can file FAFSA online to speed up the application process.
Approximately a month after you file for FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). This form tells you what your Estimated Family Contribution (EPC) is, based on your family’s financial capability as reported on the FAFSA. Review the SAR over carefully and correct any mistakes you find right away. After all errors have been corrected, the colleges can decide how much to award you in financial aid and what kinds of aid to give you.
Soon after you receive the acceptance letter from colleges you apply for admission. You will also receive a financial aid package offers by the colleges. Carefully review the offers before you decide which one to accept.
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