Maintained for Historical Purposes

This resource is being maintained for historical purposes only and is not currently applicable.

Submitting An Initial Application

AwardYear: 1994-1995
Edition: High School
Part: 2 - - The Application Process for Financial Aid
SectionNumber:
SectionTitle: Submitting An Initial Application

PageNumbers: 22

Students must complete the FAFSA accurately and legibly, and must send it in on time to the address specified on the FAFSA. (See the last page of this Part for a complete list of deadlines.) Please caution students that there are NO EXCEPTIONS to the deadlines. It is important to note that states and schools often set earlier deadlines in awarding aid from other programs, including the campus-based programs (Federal Perkins Loans, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study). Students should find out their school’s deadlines well in advance of applying for financial aid.

If you could give students only one piece of advice as they complete an application, it would be to READ THE INSTRUCTIONS. This statement cannot be overemphasized; most errors are caused by students misunderstanding what information is being requested. Errors on the application such as an incorrect Social Security Number, cause delays in processing, which may mean that students who are otherwise eligible might not meet the deadline to qualify for aid.

If a student has unusual circumstances that would cause the student to be considered independent of his or her parents, the financial aid administrator at the school may choose to override the student’s dependency status on the application. Students who believe that they have compelling and unique reasons to be considered independent should contact the financial aid office before submitting the application.

It is important for the student to save all records and all other materials used in completing an application because the student may need them later if either the Department or the student’s school selects the student for a process called “verification.” This simply means that the student will have to prove that what was reported on the application is correct.


NOTE: A student may not submit a 1994-95 FAFSA to an application processor before January 1, 1994.