Is FAFSA for Me?
It is if you plan to apply for any federal assistance when it comes to funding your MHA course of study. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a must for almost anyone seeking financial assistance to attend college. A majority of colleges and universities as well as scholarship programs throughout the land depend upon this form as a requirement in their process for awarding free money. That’s why it’s important to fill one out even if you don’t qualify for any federal aid because the school where you wish to attend will more than likely use this standardized form.
Easy to Fill Out
The form is easy to fill out and is usually done right online at FAFSA.ed.gov. Always use this site being aware that there are many on the Internet that will mimic it in an attempt to get you to pay a fee for its use. Never pay anything to fill out a FAFSA form. If a site requires you to list your credit card number, get out of there. FAFSA will, however, require you to fill out information about your taxes as well as your parents’ taxes or you might be able to estimate based on the previous year’s return. Filling out the FAFSA form online one likely take about an hour to fill out as long as you gather all the necessary materials you need before you start.
Do Your Own FAFSA
Doing your own FAFSA form online will give you a clear understanding of what your financial situation is and how it relates to your college costs. Students, however, can rely on their parents to fill out the form as long as they have a keen understanding of what the information is and what is required. There certainly requirements that students or dependence of parents need to fulfill in order to receive financial assistance. Occasionally parents are hesitant to hand over to their child important financial information. This is okay, since the student can complete one half of the required information and leave the other half of the parents to complete. It is important however that as a student receiving financial assistance you prompter parents into completing the form and as expeditiously at time as possible. If your parents are used to fill out the form, you are in a world of hurt. In this situation, your financial woes may be compounded since you’ll need to hire an attorney to file for financial emancipation from your parents. Hopefully this will not take place because if you are a student under the age of 23, the federal government considers you a dependent and requires your parents’ financial information in order to give you assistance. You can use a dependency worksheet to check on your status.
What is the Time to Fill Out the FAFSA Form?
Each year when all the available tax information can be collected is a good time to fill out the form. Since many schools give out more aid on a first-come first-served basis, it is important to get your forms and as soon as you possibly can. Check with your school or potential schools to see when the deadlines will be. You only need to fill out one FAFSA form that all colleges to which you are applying can have access.
Beyond the Ripe Old Age of 23
Graduate students beyond the age of 23 are treated differently by FAFSA. This is the age of adulthood according to the federal government when it comes to the granting of financial assistance. So, students seeking to find financial assistance for an MHA program who are beyond the age of 23, do not need any financial information from their parents. However, before you begin filing an electronic form, make sure you gather the following information:
• Driver’s License Number
• Social Security Number
• W2 Forms
• Your (and spouse if applicable) Federal Income Tax Returns
• Records concerning any untaxed income like welfare, retirement, veteran or military and clergy allowances.
• Business or farm records, if applicable
• Alien Registration Card if not a citizen
School Information Submitted
Do not forget to provide FAFSA with the schools where you are interested attending. There is a school section on the FAFSA form. Information from the form is electronically forwarded to the school in order for them to make you a financial award.
After Submission of Your FAFSA Form
After you have submitted the form to the Department of Education, this information is processed to determine your eligibility and check out other requirements. You will see the notification that is called a Student Aid Report (SAR), from the Department of Education allowing you to review the information that they have so you can make any corrections as needed. If corrections are necessary, once these are made the Department of Education will transmit the information electronically to the graduate schools you’ve chosen on your FAFSA application. The school then put together a financial aid award letter sending it to you for your signature of acceptance. Once you’ve accepted the award letter, you can begin the process applying for graduate Stafford loans, graduate PLUS loans as well as other graduate private student loans.