Students and Parents Encouraged to Apply for College Financial Aid Early
(Press Release) One of the most frequently asked questions is “How early can I apply for financial aid?” The answer, “the earlier, the better.” This year the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA was made available to students three months earlier than before.
Potential and current college students could have filled out the application as early as Oct. 1., which is the date the FAFSA will now be available in the future. The goal of the earlier time for the FAFSA is to make it coincide with the college application process.
If you are a high school senior and haven’t completed the application yet, you should not wait any longer. Some of the most beneficial financial aid funds given by the federal government, state agencies, scholarship foundations and colleges and are on a first come, first served basis.
The sooner you submit your FAFSA, the sooner your school can receive your results and evaluate your situation.
Every year the Department of Education provides over $150 billion in Federal Student Aid in the form of grants, work-study, and loans. This aid assists students to pay for expenses such as tuition & fees, room & board, books, and supplies as well as transportation. Other items the funding can help students with are computers for school use and dependent care while the student attends school.
In order to qualify for aid, a person must: demonstrate financial need; be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen; have a valid Social Security number; register for Selective Service if you are a male between the ages of 18 and 25; show you have a high school diploma, GED or completed a high school education in a home-school setting approved under state law; and maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or a career school.
The StudentAid.gov website is an excellent source to find out more about eligibility for financial aid and answer questions you may have about financial aid.
“We encourage all current and prospective college students to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible to potentially qualify for the most aid,” said SWTJC Financial Aid Director, Yvette Hernandez. “Our staff has been working hard with area high school students since October 1 at FAFSA Lab Nights to assist families with completing the FAFSA and learning about financial aid.
Students are required to submit a FAFSA each year.
The goal of the earlier date for the FAFSA was to make it more in line with the college application process. The website to complete the financial aid application is www.fafsa.gov.
Registration for the spring semester is now open at Southwest Texas Junior College. Anyone interested in enrolling in classes can go to their nearest campus to register or go to www.swtjc.edu for more information.
