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Give Your Student A Better Chance At Grants: File the FAFSA Early

By: Sherri Peterson

January 1st the 2013-2014 FAFSA will become available online at www.fafsa.gov and the Priority Deadline is February 1st.  We recommend filing the FAFSA early since it takes a few days for the information to be processed. The FAFSA can still be filed after the priority deadline; however, it may result in a loss of potential funding. Many federal and state awards are given to those who file before the deadline passes so some eligible students may wind up on a waitlist.  Meeting the priority deadline will assure your student receives the best aid award possible.

Make the FAFSA filing process easier on yourself by gathering relevant documents before you start. Be sure to include Student and Parent PINs (available at www.pin.ed.gov), Your 2012 income information (W2/last pay stub/1040), and asset/investment information. Please read the Help and Hints Box information, especially on net worth questions as it tells you what information to exclude.  Families often make mistakes when reporting their Assets, Investments, Business and Farm Net Worth. And remember, if you have questions about the FAFSA process, feel free to contact Gonzaga’s Financial Aid Office at (800) 793-1716, locally at (509) 313-6582, or on the web at www.gonzaga.edu/financialaid orfinaid@gonzaga.edu.

Top 10 Reasons to file your student’s FAFSA Early:

10.     “Don’t Pay Money to Get Money” Filing the FAFSA is FREE at www.fafsa.gov.

9.       “You’ve been Waitlisted” State and Federal Funds are limited.

8.       “Guesstimate!” The FAFSA can be estimated and it is easy to update.

7.       “Show Me the Money!” Some scholarships depend on it.

6.       “Know before you Go” Students will know the 13-14 award before they go home in May.

5.       “Spread the Love” Enjoy some quality time as a family and make your student file it with you.

4.       “No more nagging!”  Your student will keep bugging you until it’s submitted.

3.       “Stress Less” www.FAFSA.gov experiences high traffic near the deadline which may result in technical difficulties and additional stress.

2.       “Get Paid, not Delayed” Funds are able to be disbursed on time.

1.       “Because GU told me to!” The Priority Deadline is February 1st.

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