FAFSA

Videos and Images:

Financial Aid Process Graphic

Eligibility:

Who Gets Aid

Tools:

Budget Calculator

FAFSA Glossary

Student FAQs:

FAFSA Online Help

Fact Sheets and Documents:

2011-12 FAFSA Tax Line ReferencePR

2012-13 Federal Student Aid Handbook

2012-13 Do You Need Money for College?

Grant Programs:

2012-13 Federal Grant Programs

Federal Pell Grants

Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant

2012-13 Teach Grant Programs

Federal Work Study

Loan Programs:

Federal Student Loan Programs

Stafford Loans

Perkins Loans

PLUS Loans for Parents

PLUS Loans for Graduate and Professional Students

Loan Information:

Direct Loan Basics for students

Direct Loan Basics for parents

Your Federal Student Loans: Learn the Basics and manage Your Debt

Stafford Loan Forgiveness for teachers

Why Get a Federal Student Loan? 

Loan Forgiveness for Public Service Employees

Scholarships:

Federal Scholarships

2012-13 Scholarship for Military Families

FAFSA Webpages and Documents:

Funding Your Graduate Education

Information for International Students

Saving Early = Saving Smart

2012-13 Completing FAFSA

2012-13 Expected Family Contribution Formula

2012-13 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet

2012-13 Free Application for Federal Student Aid

Online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Federal School Code

FAFSA4Caster

Steps to Federal Student Aid

What is Student Federal Aid PIN?

What Information do I need When I Fill Out the FAFSA?

Am I Dependent or Independent?

Who is My “Parent” When I Fill Out the FAFSA? 

Myths About Financial Aid

Counselor and Mentor Resources:

2012-13 Counselors and mentors Handbook

2012-13 KnowHow2Go Mentor Handbook

Training Documents:

• Overview of Financial Aid Programs
• Applying for Federal Financial Aid
• Student Dependency Status
• And the Number is…
• After the FAFSA

Supporting Documents for Training:

• Application Form Tracking
• Award Package Comparison
• Cost of Attendance Comparison
• Financial Aid Application Checklist
• Financial Aid Consultant Services
• Federal Aid Glossary
• Sample Scholarship Inquiry Letter
• Student Aid Program Summary
• Web Resources for Students with Disabilities

Resources:

• Master Resource List
• Federal Resources

Additional Materials:

• Financial Literacy
• Counseling Undocumented Students

FAFSA Tips:

Question: 

 If a parent earned less than $9,500, is undocumented and will not file an income tax return, does the parent enter income information based on pay stubs or other forms of income verification?

 Answer:

The parent will report “not going to file” and report the wages they earned using pay stubs or other forms of verification. 

Question&Answer:(For counselors)

If you are working with a student whose parents are undocumented and do not a social security number (SSN), you may enter 0’s for the SSN. The FAFSA can be submitted electronically, but the parents will need to print, sign and mail in the signature page. Therefore, there will be a delay in processing.  However, if the student is a citizen, they will be eligible (provided they met other eligibility criteria) for federal student aid, even if the parents are undocumented.

Question:  If the student has earned college credit while still in high school, how does  the student answer the grade level question on the FAFSA?    

Answer:  The level should reflect the upcoming year’s level versus what has been completed in the past. 

High School seniors should enter freshman as their status. 

Hopefully by this time, a number of your students have completed the FAFSA and the YOUniversal Application.

Remember if you want to see how many of your students have completed the FAFSA, check the FAFSA Data Completion Center – put Arkansas in the drop down box

http://studentaid.ed.gov/about/data-center/student/application-volume/fafsa-completion-high-school

Spring Break is over, and undoubtedly, you have at least one student tell you that they are no longer interested in any of the schools they listed on their FAFSA.  Now  they plan to attend MFU (My Friends University)!   The student can log into the FAFSA On The Web with their account information and add/remove schools from their list.    If the student receives state aid, they should also log into their ADHE account and correct their school information. 

TIP: 

If you have students who are planning to start college this summer, please ask them to contact the school they are attending to determine if they need to complete the 2012-2013 FAFSA or 2013-2014 FAFSA.   Each school can determine which year’s FAFSA they will use to pay financial aid for the summer.   

After the student enters their name, social and birth date, the next screen of the FAFSA will ask which FAFSA they are completing.

Have a great summer!