My FAFSA is filed and my SAR is available... what next?
366834
There will not be an EFC to calculate your eligibility until you can electronically sign the FAFSA with your mothers pin. So before your financial aid will be able to be determined you must make the correction or print out the signature page have mom sign in make a photocopy and take to your financial aid office and mail a copy in.
381209
First, know that your childen will be eligible for Stafford Loans regardless of whether they show need or not -- this is why the Unsubsidized Stafford loan was created.  Loan limits for this type of fund are increasing, too, beginning with the 07-08 award year.  \n\nBeyond that, if *you* are applying for loans for your children, you wouldn't want to reduce your income at all! PLUS loans, and most private loans are credit-based; your lender will be looking for halfway decent debt-to-income ratio.  In this sense, hiding your income/assets to make your children federally eligible could hurt you when it comes time to borrow privately.\n\nWhat are colleges looking for?  The same thing that the feds are when you file the FAFSA: income (taxable and untaxed) and assets from both student and parent; in-kind support that the student has received; how many other children are in your household and, of those, how many are currently college undergrads, etc...\n\nWhen it comes to additional information, we're looking for anything *else*.  If a parent appeals on the grounds that their income is X and their assets are Y -- and this is the same information that they provided on the FAFSA -- there isn't much new information there.  \n\nThings I will consider as "special circumstances":\n\n* "I lost my job midway through last tax year and my '05 income isn't indicative of what my 06-07 income will be."\n* "I recently got divorced."\n* "During the last tax year, I had a lot of medical bills that weren't covered by my medical insurance."\n\nThings I *won't* consider in an appeal:\n\n* "My other daughter just got married and I had to pay for a costly wedding for her"\n* "I live in X state where the cost of living is much higher than in Y state where your college is"\n* "I have a lot of debt" (yes, debt is certainly grounds for financial hardship, but if we consider your debt, we'd have to consider everyone else's; when the feds are ready, they'll ask the debt question on the FAFSA -- until then, I can't include it)\n* "I [the parent] am in school myself" (So, you used your kids' college savings for yourself?)\n\nAs for tricks...\n\n::sigh:: No Financial Aid administrator likes to hear that people are seeking out "tricks of the trade" or trying to hide income/assets, so any expert who's willing to give them to you isn't very reputable to begin with.  \n\nThat said, if you're curious to see where you might be hardest hit, the first thing you should do is perform your own EFC calculation to see where the contribution comes from.  A good website for this is www.finaid.org's Calculator page, here: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml  This page is slightly simplified; if you want to perform the actual calculation by hand, you can go here: http://www.ifap.ed.gov/efcinformation/attachments/0607EFCFormulaGuideDecFinal.pdf\n\nOnce you do this, look at WHERE your EFC comes from.  Is it assets or income?  Is any of it from the *student*?  Some people don't realize that student income/assets are converted (i.e. held against them/you) at a much higher rate than parent assets/income.  I've had parents ask why their EFC is so high and it turns out that their son had $10,000 in savings bonds, 35% of which was counted towards a single year's EFC. The most well-known "trick," then, is to transfer any student assets into the parents name.  Were these assets in the parents name, only 12% (at most) would be counted towards the EFC.\n\nMost people who fall into the middle class category get burned not by their assets but by their income, because assets are protected (to a point) whereas available income is "counted against you" more more heavily.  There's very little way to hide income, because your school can, at any time, request copies of any information that they
266435
Do you live in the United States? Are you applying for the FAFSA? If so, they do ask you if this is your first or second BA but I think as long as you are financially in need you will still receive a grant. I am pretty sure that it will be a bit lessened but nothing extreme. If you are applying to outside scholarships that are not dependant on your financial need, then your previous BA shouldn't have any impact on their decision to grant or not grant you the scholarship.
313795
If you live with your mother (and not your father) and your parents are divorced, you are only required to include your mother's income/asset information on the FAFSA.  Do not include your father's income.  Why? The Web application (or paper app) will ask about your parent's marital status.  If you say that your parents are divorced but then provide income/asset information for both parents, sometimes the FAFSA will be rejected.  So put down your mom only.\n\nIf your grandfather moves in with you and your mother, you will need to include him in the question that asks "number in household" -- but do not include his SSN or income/asset information on the form, as he is not considered a parent under federal regulations (read the FAFSA instructions as far as who is considered a parent; they are very clear cut).\n\nYour eligibility for Pell depends on many more factors than simply income.  You *will* need to report the alimony that your mother receives, as it is still considered income (whether it is taxed or untaxed).  However, if this $16,000 is all your mother has and she is supporting herself, you, AND your grandfather with it, you will likely be Pell eligible, assuming none of you have investments or savings to report.
974366
First submit your FAFSA- everyone is "approved" by fafsa- the amount you will receive in loans and scholarships is based upon your financial need- and that of your parents if you are not considered an Independent student.  If you qualify as an independent study, (you would have to prove that you supported yourself for one year prior to being admitted into college) you would then qualify for the MOST in subsidized and unsubsidized stafford loans.  Apply for FAFSA online, list the school/schools you are interested in.  *you will need your income tax info for last year from you and your parents.  And NO, you do NOT need to be accepted to a college first-it is better to submit the form before you commit to any college- you will then get EFC-expected family contribution $$$ so you can foresee what colleges you can truly afford to go to--- Good luck- again, google fafsa, there will be many other sites to help look for other scholarships.
666025
The $16,000 in alimony was taxable and should have been reported on your Mom's taxes in the year she received it. If it wasn't, it should be included on Worksheet B of the FAFSA as "other untaxed income" (question #79).\n\nIt is hard to say whether you will qualify for Pell, since there are a LOT of other factors that determine your eligibility besides just income.  If you (the student) have no income, if neither of you have any assets, and if your mother's ONLY income is alimony (and she is not remarried), then you will probably be eligible.  That's a lot of "IFs" though... Like I said, there's a lot more to your Pell eligibility than just your parent income.\n\nYou should include only your mom in the parent section of the FAFSA (the instructions clearly state that when parents are divorced the student should include only the information for the parent who provides 50% of more of your support -- since you live with your mom, that would be her.  If you indicate that your parents are divorced but then include both of them, your FAFSA will require a correction.)
1119162
Financial Aid is almost always affected by a student's suspended status (You do mean suspended as opposed to "probation," right?).  In order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid, a student must maintain "Satisfactory Academic Progress" (SAP) as determined by his/her school's SAP policy. At most schools, this means that you need either \n\n(a) pass a a certain percentage of your classes, \n(b) pass a certain number of classes, \n(c) maintain a certain GPA or\n(d) a combination of 1 or more of the above\n\nSince you were already suspended (instead of being placed on probation), you should have been (or will soon be) notified of the affect that this action has on your financial aid. Quite simply, if you aren't in school, you can't receive financial aid.  But when you come back to school, if you do well enough to maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress, you will once again be able to obtain federal aid (and probably anything else, too). \n\nKeep in mind that, for suspended students, regaining "good standing" usually entails attending school for a little while (e.g. a semester) *without* the assistance of financial aid.  You need that first semester to prove that you have made SAP.\n\nSo, to "get yourself back on track," you will need to focus on your academics above all else.  Now that you understand *why* you did poorly, you have a chance to improve. Sometimes taking a break is good, but don't stay away too long.  As soon as you are able, petition to return from suspension. Only once you bring your grades up can the financial aid issues be resolved. \n\nWhile you are out of school, you can complete the FAFSA (just so your school has it on file), but don't expect to get any federal or state aid until your school tells you "yes, you have made satisfactory academic progress."  By all means, apply for outside scholarships for the semester that you plan to return. Check their eligibility criteria to see if the awards are need-based or merit-based and whether the organization will require SAP (some do).\n\n---------------------------\n\nAll that said, many schools will also have procedures in place for you to appeal a financial aid suspension/probationary status. In general, in a letter appealing a financial aid probation/suspension, you would probably want to explain why you failed your class and what you plan to do to remedy this situation. If there were personal issues that contributed to your less-than-ideal performance, mention these (if you are comfortable doing so).
630946
Sorry, but the only correct EFC is your FAFSA EFC (i.e. the one sent to you and your school from FAFSA Central Processing center).\n\nYour EFC on FinAid.org and similar financial aid sites is going to be a "simplified" calculation.  They give that disclaimer right on the calculator page: http://www.finaid.org/calculators/finaidestimate.phtml .  In reality, there is a lot more to the calculation than the numbers that they ask you on those sites (which are intended to *estimate* your EFC).  If you REALLY want to do a hand calculation of your EFC, you can download the formulas here: http://www.ifap.ed.gov/efcinformation/attachments/0607EFCFormulaGuideDecFinal.pdf  It's not as simple as you think and the College Board might not update their EFC formulas as often as the Dept of Education does.\n\nWhat you might want to do now is compare your SAR (the student version of your FAFSA results that would have been mailed or emailed to you when your FAFSA was processed) to the data that you inputted on the College Board site.  If there are any differences, you will need to decide which is correct and make sure that the FAFSA reflects this.
422888
Did you at least get *something?*  If you got something and it simply wasn't enough, there are any number of reasons why you didn't get enough.\n\n1.  Loan/grant limits.  It is possible that, even if you have been given everything they have to give, the funding just doesn't exist.  Every federal program has limits.  Pell grants are capped at $4050 for full-time students; Stafford loans are capped at $2625 for Freshmen; Perkins loans and SEO Grants are capped at $4,000 for undergrads (and not all schools can offer Perkins or SEOG, and those who CAN often don't have enough of it to give the maximum).\n\n2.  Dependency status.  If you are an undergrad, are under 24, are unmarried (without kids), and are not a veteran or an orphan, you have to include your parents information on your FAFSA.  Your EFC, which is used to determine your eligibility for aid, is based on the income and assets of both you and your parents.  If your EFC exceeds the cost of your attendance, you probably aren't eligible for much more than an Unsub. Stafford Loan.  To find out what your EFC is, check your FAFSA results (on the SAR or "Student Aid Report" that you would have received after you filed the FAFSA) or call your Financial Aid Office.\n\n3.  Your enrollment status.  Many financial aid programs are limited to half-time or full-time students.  If you're not taking enough credits, you might be eligible for a lot less than a student taking a full credit load.\n\n4.  Accreditation.  It's possible that your school isn't allowed to administer student aid programs, or that they are only allowed to administer *some* of those programs, like Pell and Stafford only.\n\n5.  You might have made an error on your FAFSA that makes you look more wealthy than you are.  This happens a lot but can be corrected.  Go over your FAFSA results carefully to make sure that you didn't add in any numbers that shouldn't be there.\n\nNot every school has the means to meet every student's financial need. You or your parents can borrow a PLUS loan or a private loan to cover what your Federal and institutional financial aid package does not cover.  Visit this site for a list of reputable education loan lenders: http://www.finaid.org/loans/privatestudentloans.phtml
784423
It is through FAFSA. It is pretty easy to apply, and they'll explain everything in painstaking detail. Financial aid will generally cover tuition first, then books and then based on your need, it'll also cover some living expenses. You also need to educate yourself on the difference between subsidized and unsubsidized loans!!! VERY IMPORTANT.  Good luck to ya.
404252
I will "tweak" a student's application in extreme circumstances, but not often. \n\nHere's how it goes...\n\nYour school can adjust your FAFSA (the application for Federal Student Aid funding) under certain circumstances.  However, they are by no means required to -- it's up to them to decide whether the circumstances you describe qualify as exceptions to the already *very* detailed Federal Student Aid regulations.  Their ability to make exceptions to these rules is known as "Professional Judgment," a provision in the regulations that gives your school the power to adjust or override certain FAFSA data in cases where that data does not accurately reflect your situation.  Examples of exceptional circumstances might include...\n\n* If the income/asset information that was reported on the FAFSA does not accurately reflect your earnings/savings for the year in question.  if a parent lost their job (or a lot of income) in mid-2005, their 2005 tax return (on which the 06-07 FAFSA is based) will make them seem as if they earn more than they really do.  Your school could, in this case, use your parents' new income to estimate actual 2006 earnings and correct your FAFSA.\n\n* If someone in your family incurred a great deal of medical expenses not covered by their insurance, your school could take this into consideration, possibly by adjusting your/their assets or investments to reflect the money that was or will be paid out to cover these costs \n\n* If you are technically considered "dependent" according to the FAFSA guidelines, but you can prove that you are *completely* self-supporting (emphasis on "completely"), your school can perform a dependency override to have you classified as "independent" for FSA purposes. Essentially, this means that you will not have to include your parents' information on the FAFSA at all.\n\nI am always willling to take the above information into consideration.  However, even when I have adjusted for these things, often the student's eligibility doesn't change because their EFC doesn't change much.  (Keep in mind that a $5,000 decrease in income doesn't equal a $5,000 decrease in your EFC.)\n\nThere are a lot of expenses that I won't take into consideration.  For example, the FAFSA does not ask applicants about debt at all -- so if your school was to take your debt into consideration, they would have to do so for everyone at their school.  Moreover, when students appeal based on extraordinary living costs, the emphasis needs to be on the basics: rent/mortgage, utilities, transportation, etc.  It is important to know that the federal methodolody (used to calculate the EFC) has *already* left room for many expenses by sheltering a portion of the family's income/assets (through something called the "income protection allowance" and "asset protection allowance"). So, although many parents have additional costs (i.e. a child needs braces, someone's car needs repairs, someone else attends private elementary/secondary school...), these miscellaneous expenses are already accounted for (to a point).   Quite frankly, everyone (inclluding very poor people) has bills, so that doesn't really make for an extraordinary circumstance.\n\nShould you decide to approach, your FA officer, be prepared to not only *talk* about the bills but also provide copies of them.  Your school *must* document any changes that they make to your FAFSA data.  Schools are audited on a very regular basis, and if it is found that they did not follow protocol or "broke the rules," their ability to administed financial aid to future students (including you) could be seriously jeopardized.\n\nEDIT: The CSS Profile is a form that your school can request to help them calculate your eligibility for their *institutional* funding; it can't be used to assess your eligibility for federal aid.  It goes *much* more in dep
1025856
check the website of the schools you want to attend, they will list all their important deadlines for financial aid.  some schools (mostly private ones) require you to fill out the CSS/Profile form in addition to the FAFSA in order to receive aid from the school itself.\n\na good website to check for scholarships is fastweb.com.
527224
Most schools have a process whereby you can appeal your financial aid award. Obviously, these procedures vary by school: some schools only offer need-based scholarships, so your appeal at those school should reflect that;\nother schools may prefer an appeal outlining your academic qualities.  As such, make sure that you know the selection criteria for the scholarship for which you are applying, and focus on those areas.\n\nKeep in mind that your Financial Aid administrator has received hundreds -- if not thousands -- of appeals over the course of his or her career; he or she has heard nearly every story you can conjure. With the exception of a few schools, there is usually never enough money to go around and while most Financial Aid Officers would love to grant every legitimate appeal, they often simply can't.\n\nWith this in mind, start your letter by briefly explaining who you are and what you do (your major, year in school, etc.). Then specifically state why you are writing (that you are appealing a scholarship decision, etc.).\n\nThe remainder of the letter should detail your reasons for appealing. This will be the most important section and yet the most difficult to write. Above all, BE HONEST. Describe your situation in detail; quantify. For example, if you are a starving college student, don't simply say that. Let the addressee know how much money you have to contribute to your education, what strains there are on your finances, etc. Think about the information you provided on your FAFSA, your CSS Profile, or your school's institutional Financial Aid application. Is there additional information that you want your school to know about your finances. Perhaps the 2005 tax information on your FAFSA does not reflect dramatic changes that will occur in 2006. If so, describe the changes you anticipate (a parent's job loss, the birth of a child/sibling etc.).\n\nWhen you have written down your circumstances, look them over and ask yourself whether these circumstances are unique or if they could apply to numerous other students. If your appeal is too general, it is less likely to be approved. \n\nWatch the tone of your letter. While in any interview and with any application it is important to set yourself apart from other applicants, do not make assumptions or judgements about other applicants/students. If you feel you are a deserving scholarship applicant, you probably are. Be confident and proceed with the letter -- but know that there are bound to be other deserving applicants out there.\n\nOne final thing: Make sure that you have covered all your bases. If a Financial Aid office receives a heartfelt, compelling letter from a student but then looks in the student's file only to find that she/he hasn't filed a FAFSA (or has another incomplete application), that office may end up asking "Why we should go to such great lengths to help a student who isn't willing to help him/herself."\n\nOnce you have done all you can to obtain additional institutional and federal (and maybe state) aid from your Financial Aid Office, it's probably time to look for outside scholarship awards.  Peruse the many search engines online to see if you sound like a candidate for any private (or "outside") scholarship funding.  Try these sites: \n\n* http://www.fastweb.com/\n* http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp\n* http://www.scholarships101.com/\n* http://www.srnexpress.com/\n* http://www.scholarships.com/\n* http://services.princetonreview.com/default.asp?RUN=%2Fcollege%2Ffinance%2Fscholar%2FscholInterview%2Easp&RCN=auth&RDN=7&ALD=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eprincetonreview%2Ecom\n* http://www.finaid.org/scholarships\n* http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_free_money.jsp\n\nBut make sure that you also check your local library, your high school, the school you plan on attending, and any organizations/clubs/churches to which you belong.
503702
Government:\nAlways start with your Federal aid application -- file your FAFSA online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and make your it gets to the school(s) you're interested in.  This will determine your eligibility for Federal Aid programs, state aid programs, and many institutional/private programs as well.\n\nSchools:\nCall your schools' Financial Aid Office to see what other programs they might offer besides Federal/State aid.  Make sure you know if you are eligible and what you can do to apply.  See if they have a list\n\nEven if you are no longer enrolled in high school, go visit your High School guidance office to see what they recommend.  Some offices will collect scholarship listings that you can browse through\n\nLibrary:\nGo to your local library.  They might have a similar list of scholarships posted somewhere.  If not, at the very least, they should have dozens of College Planning-type books that you can look through (for free!) to get ideas.\n\nOnline:\nThere are numerous resources out there to help you prepare and pay for college. Try registering with any and all of the below scholarship search sites:\n\n* http://www.fastweb.com/\n* http://apps.collegeboard.com/cbsearch_ss/welcome.jsp\n* http://www.scholarships101.com/\n* http://www.srnexpress.com/\n* http://www.scholarships.com/\n* http://services.princetonreview.com/default.asp?RUN=%2Fcollege%2Ffinance%2Fscholar%2FscholInterview%2Easp&RCN=auth&RDN=7&ALD=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eprincetonreview%2Ecom\n* http://www.finaid.org/scholarships\n* http://www.collegeanswer.com/paying/content/pay_free_money.jsp\n\nApply for as many scholarships as you can.  For all types of Financial Aid advice, I love FinAid.org: http://www.finaid.org \n\nRemember: you should never have to PAY for Financial Aid advice. Ever. Steer clear of companies that want monsy upfront. Some good advice about Scholarship Scams: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/scholarship/
945176
Fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid ) online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Make sure that you include the school you wish to attend on your FAFSA--you can list up to 6 schools.\n\nWait about 2-3 weeks from the time you submit it and then contact the school you wish to attend to find out if they need any other information to complete your financial aid file.\n\nIf you plan to start in the Spring semester in January, complete your FAFSA right away! If you're going to wait till next school year starts in August 2007, the FAFSA for that year becomes available January 1.\n\nTo fill out a FAFSA now, you'll need your 2005 income information (federal tax return, if filed) and for the FAFSA in January, you'll need your 2006 income information.\n\nFor any additional questions, contact your school's financial aid office. The people there are trained to answer your questions.
440425
First, apply for Federal Student Aid online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  Stafford and Perkins, two of the loans that you might obtain upon filing the FAFSA require NO CREDIT CHECK. Your college Financial Aid administrator will use your FAFSA results to determine your eligibility for these funds. (Federal grant aid [Pell and SEOG] and non-loan Federal self-help aid [such as work-study] are also awarded without regard to a student's credit rating.)\n\nOnce you have exhausted your options for Federal Aid, look to your school for other types of funding. You would do yourself a disservice if you didn't go to your college for Financial Aid information! Plenty of schools have their own non-credit-based no-interest (or low-interest) loan programs.\n\nThere are non-federal (called "private" or "alternative") educational loans that you can borrow to supplement your federal aid package. You need to be very careful, because any loan that you can obtain without credit OR a cosigner will probably have a very high interest rate. Borrow conservatively.  First, try the first two loans listed below -- if your credit isn't horrible, or if you have a co-signer, you may be approved.  If you aren't approved or if you don't have a cosigner, try the latter two loans as a last resort (as the rates tend to be higher).
553484
Look into all grant programs. There should also be some type of unsubsidized loan that you can get. You did not say if you are in the U.S. or not so under the assumption that you are you should fill out the fasfa and see how much you can get, then you can always put some money aside from your paychecks to compensate for what you are lacking in financial aid.