There are three FAFSA-filing deadlines to research - institutional, state, and federal:
each of your child’s college’s deadline for incoming freshmen (continuing students’ FAFSA deadline will likely be later), if the school uses FAFSA
your home state’s grants/scholarships deadline for FAFSA-filing
the Federal aid deadline for FAFSA-filing
If your child is starting college in FALL 2016, that’s considered the start of 2016/2017 school year. We’re filing FAFSA for that school year. So, 2015 is our base year. (I know most folks here know this.)
Yep, @dyiu13, for FAFSA 2016/17 and 2017/18 the 2015 year tax return will be used. I think the 2017/18 FAFSA will be available in October 2016 to start filing. The change was supposed to help families get award letters sooner, shortly after acceptance. So prior prior year taxes will be used from then on.
@momofsmartdancer, yes the state aid is only for residents of that state, usually if they go to a college in that state.
It works out nicely for us. We don’t qualify for Pell, but a state grant.
Our kid has 13 schools she applied to. If you submit FAFSA online, you can send it to 10 schools max, until it’s processed and then you can send it to an additional set of colleges. So, we’re sending it to all the in-state colleges (state grant schools), along with the out-of-state schools with the earliest FAFSA deadlines, and filling all 10 spots for first submission. Then, the final three (a latest deadlines, out-of-state, least favored to attend, most unaffordable combo) will be added in the second round.
@Mysonsdad
While our D16 is no longer waiting on any admissions decsions, you might want to consider some of these factors and maybe wind up submitting to all his schools, so the FAFSA will be there as soon as a school decides to admit.
That’s why I often recommend that a low income student go to a school instate. First because instate tuition rates are lower usually than OOS, second because in addition to federal aid they might also get state aid, and third because travel costs might also be lower if they are closer to home.
But of course if they get a full ride at OOS school or attend a 100% need met school they might pay even less.
Still cheering my S on from the sidelines as he works on his last app with a 1/1 deadline. He heard back from his fave school about the Common App glitch - adcom said no worries, they don’t look at the prompt…they look at the content of the essay. He’s relieved!
Not sure if I’m up for filing FAFSA tomorrow. Maybe on Saturday?
RSVPing for our May 1st BBQ. Bringing sushi and quinoa salad. How’s that for fusion cuisine?
Wishing my friends a Happy New Year! <:-P <:-P <:-P <:-P <:-P
Congratulations on being done @mstomper ! What an awesome set of grandparents!!
Remember that the FAFSA is the FREE application for Federal Student Aid. If you get any offers or end up on a website offering to assist in filing for a fee, other than from your personal CPA or financial planner, it is a scam.
Question about the FAFSA and CSS profile. Can you do each form in several sittings or do you have to complete them in the same sitting once you start the form?
@carolinamom2boys You can save progress and do it over time. Haven’t done FAFSA in years but for CSS, when you add a new school, you review the whole thing and can also make changes at that time as well.
Just reran NPC for the “reach of all reaches” school–remains totally unaffordable. Sigh. She has so many good options, why does the pricey one have to be the dream.
My husband is a small business owner so getting his taxes and ours done quickly is really difficult but he is going to try for late Jan/early Feb. However, his accountant said just to submit FAFSA & CSS now using estimates from 2014 tax forms. I believe our financial package would be considered pending until 2015 taxes are submitted but what are the downsides if any to doing this?
Well it’s a new year and a new panic. S reported 3 SAT subject tests scores to all his schools but I only sent the 2 best scores to some of the schools (3 to his targets, so he’s okay there) So some schools, the super reaches, will see 3 reported, but only 2 official scores will show up when CB sends the report. They all do score choice. One he reported 3 and they want all scores which I sent. I am soooo sick of this process. At least the school I want him to end up at has everything right.
@Mysonsdad Sorry about the new panic. I swear it just feels like status quo. If everything is calm, the storm must be coming. I know that’s exactly how it ran last year with S19’s college app process. Why on earth would I think that it would be easier with my D, who believes that if its more than 1 minute until its due, you’re not even under the gun? Oy. 3 whole apps and 1 supplement still do go. Did someone say today was Jan 1st?
For those of you in my shoes, with apps still to submit (and write!) I wish you all a quiet calm day of encouragement for your kids and deep breathing for yourself. Just remember, if they didn’t get the app in, they really didn’t want to go there in the first place.
Oh, and make a yummy Pad Thai that I can bring to the BBQ.
The last application DD is working is now on now is for her first choice. She intentionally left it to the last since she believes that a level of essays for this school has to be superior and like nothing she has written before. She wrote an outstanding essay yesterday, now she needs two more. She is walking around the house and keep on talking about ideas for essays she has. We had a two hour breakfast, because she needed to verbalized her ideas. Luckily she has two more days before the deadline for this one.
Final January 1st app is in. Why oh why does the common app insist on me paying through a third party just because my mailing address is outside the US? I have several credit cards in USD linked to US banking institutions. But nooo, they want me to pay in CAD through a third party who then tacks an additional fee on top of it. Which means, the last two apps cost me $126 and $139. Oh vey.
