Graduate CT Blog

FAFSA Advice: financial aid CT

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Graduate!CT knows that financial aid is critical for many in order to go back to school and the first step is to apply for or renew your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Every college in the US requires applicants to file the FAFSA in order to receive federal loan assistance.

DID YOU KNOW…

According to collegescholarships.org,

• Nearly 8 million students fail to file a FAFSA every year.
• According to most estimates a generous portion of those would easily qualify for some sort of federal aid.
• Nearly a million of those students alone would qualify for Pell Grants - that’s outright gift money!

For maximum financial assistance, it is imperative to submit your FAFSA as early as possible because the aid is provided on a first come, first serve basis. The US Department of Education begins accepting applications January 1 of each year for the upcoming academic year. The deadline for Connecticut for the 2012-2013 school year is February 15, 2012.  For those who have already submitted a FAFSA, make sure you submit a renewal FAFSA every year.  Any information that has changed must be updated.

Use this checklist from the US Department of Education to see if you are eligible to apply for financial aid:

_ be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen,

_ have a valid Social Security number,

_ register (if you haven't already) with the Selective Service, if you're a male between the ages of 18 and 25,

_ maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school, and

_ show you're qualified to obtain a postsecondary education by

• having a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate;
• passing an approved ability-to-benefit test (if you don't have a diploma or GED certificate, a school can administer a test to determine whether you can benefit from the education offered at that school);
• completing six credit hours or equivalent course work toward a degree or certificate;
• meeting other federally approved standards your state establishes; or
• completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law.

Graduate!CT provides free one-on-one advising to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is the first step toward any financial assistance.