<p>DD is applying to a couple of schools with rolling admissions (UPitt and Drexel, to be exact). Both are FAFSA only schools, if I am not mistaken… Both have stated that applying early is going to be good for her financial aid. However, FAFSA application is only going to be available on January 1st. I am confused… are they going to award finaid before FAFSA?! Or is it just talk and in reality applying in September and in January is not going to make any difference?</p>
<p>They may mean both.</p>
<p>Obviously, by submitting FAFSA as early as possible in January gets a student “first in line.”</p>
<p>By applying early during the Rolling Admissisons maybe that provides an even greater incentive for a better aid package? maybe more merit money or other funds are available at that point.</p>
<p>Students apply early to get the space, and to qualify for merit-based scholarships that have early cut-off dates, and to get in line for other goodies such as priority choice of housing and priority dates for course registration. The financial aid awards (other than certain early cut-off date merit-based awards) won’t be made until after the FAFSA is filed in January. Yes, your family may not know if Pitt and Drexel are affordable right away, but you will know whether your daughter has been accepted or not. That will be a huge weight off of everyone.</p>
<p>Applying and getting in early has a number of advantages, particularly when there are no strings attached. You can call the financial aid offices of those schools and ask if there is any specific advantage in getting accepted early in the process for financial aid packages. Maybe yes, maybe no. It is advantageous getting that FAFSA and other paperwork all in place as soon as possible including that secured acceptance, because that is when the financial aid office will start looking at your aid applicaiton. If you don’t get a move on with what is needed to process that, your early acceptance to a school might not be advantageous for aid.</p>
<p>Most likely this has to do with merit aid. January is the earliest you can get your FAFSA in so don’t worry about that. At the university my daughter is attending there were certain dates that you needed to apply by to be eligible for scholarships and grants - from the school not the government. (December 1st for the big merit awards)</p>
<p>For rolling admissions schools definitely apply early especially if it is selective!</p>
<p>I know for fact that Drexel has some scholarships that do have an earlier application for the scholarship separate from admission application. Read the scholarship page to see if any are applicable in your D case. I remember one was available by nomination by an alum, which we missed even though I could have found an alum to recommend my D. There was merit $$ available without separate application as well, some of which D rec’d with acceptance, some of which lagged by several months.</p>
<p>THe financial aid office is not likely to be putting together a package for you until you are accepted. So gtting an early acceptance means that as soon as your FAFSA and other info is available to the school, they can put your package together, and absolutely YES, the earlier in the process they do that, the better of you are. Once certain funds are depleted, they are gone and just too bad that you did not apply for rolling admissions if available so that you were not accepted until March/April.</p>