student loan calculator – student Loan caLcuLator interest onLy – YouTube

Posted by admin on September 20, 2011 under Student Loans | Be the First to Comment

Find More Financial Aid Information Here!

Thank you for to continuing into the second article of this series on College Scholarships for College Sophomores. The topic I want to discuss in this article is the power of filling out the FAFSA for financial aid and tuition assistance programs.

If you are unfamiliar with the FAFSA try to remember it stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It amazes me to hear that 25% of families do not fill out the FAFSA and pay for college out of their own pockets and take out high interest private loans.

How to I apply?

The easiest way to fill out the FAFSA is if you go and apply online. Applications can be submitted starting January 1 and the deadline is June 1. One thing to remember is this application is “first come, first serve” basis. Go online and fill out the FAFSA in January or February if possible.

Why should you fill out the FAFSA?

The FAFSA determines everything in government financial aid. The government offers grants, scholarships, work-study programs and low-cost student loans. Last year the government gave 163 billion dollars to college students and 40% of the financial aid was grants that students don’t have to pay back.

The FAFSA can be a little jarring and a long process but if you don’t fill it out you have zero chances in receiving free money from the government with low-interest loans. With the government cutting the education budget by half in many areas you might want to think about completing the FAFSA as soon as possible because it is first come first serve. Don’t miss it.

Tips for Filling out the FAFSA

1) Plan ahead. You would be surprised how many people put off filling out the FAFSA till March or even to June. There is a lot of information to collect from yourself and your parents so getting all the information in the beginning will speed up the process.

2) Don’t have money in your name. When filling out the FAFSA, it will ask you questions on your past year’s earning and anything above $4,500 will take away from your financial aid package. So many college students work during the summer and even the year but earning too much money actually hurts you. If you earn over $4,500 try discussing another option with your employer to have them help pay for your tuition instead of paying you.

3) Fill out the FAFSA early. The earliest you can fill out the FAFSA is January but many parents don’t have all their tax information figured out till March. The earlier you apply the better chances you have in receiving government money towards your education.

4) Make sure all the information is correct. You might think this set is easy but I assure you thousands of college students get their application delayed because they had errors in their application. Double check the whole application and make sure everything is correct before submitting it.

5) Do it as a family. Don’t be afraid to complete the FAFSA with your parents every year. Doing the application by yourself leaves chances for errors and can increase your chances of false information. Have all the information in front of you and complete the FAFSA together as a family.

Filling out the FAFSA is probably the most difficult part about financial aid but with these steps you can make it as painless as possible. Don’t pay for someone else to help you because you can just call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID if you have any questions.

Thank you for reading College Scholarships for College Sophomores: Filling Out the FAFSA. And you can continue reading my articles for more information on scholarships and getting a college education without any debt.

Thanks for reading my article on College Scholarships for College Sophomores. To learn more please visit my website collegescholarshipfreeloaders.com and get college paid for without loans.