As if you needed more complications to make your college process more complex, don't forget to check your state's deadline for sending in your completed FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The federal deadline for the FAFSA is midnight Central Daylight time, June 30, 2010, but state deadlines are often different and earlier.
You can check out the list of state deadlines from the Department of Education.
Here's a sample of what you'll find there:
| State | Deadlines |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Check with your financial aid administrator |
| Alaska | April 15, 2010 @ |
| American Samoa | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Arizona | Check with your financial aid administrator |
| Arkansas | For Academic Challenge - June 1, 2010 @ For Workforce Grant - check with your financial aid administrator For Higher Education Opportunity Grant - June 1, 2010 (fall term) @; November 1, 2010 (spring term) @ |
| California | For initial awards - March 2, 2010 +* For additional community college awards - September 2, 2010 - date postmarked +* |
| Colorado | Check with your financial aid administrator |
| Connecticut | February 15, 2010 #* |
| Delaware | April 15, 2010 @ |
| District of Columbia | June 30, 2010 @#* |
| Federated States of Micronesia | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Florida | May 15, 2010 - date processed |
| Georgia | Check with your financial aid administrator |
| Guam | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Hawaii | Check with you financial aid administrator* |
| Idaho | Opportunity Grant - March 1, 2010 @#* |
| Illinois | As soon as possible after January 1, 2010. Awards made until funds are depleted. |
| Indiana | March 10, 2010 & |
| Iowa | July 1, 2010 @ |
| Kansas | April 1, 2010 @#* |
| Kentucky | March 15, 2010 &# |
| Louisiana | July 1, 2010 @ |
| Maine | May 1, 2010 @ |
| Marshall Islands | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Maryland | March 1, 2010 & |
| Massachusetts | May 1, 2010 @# |
| Michigan | March 1, 2010 & |
| Minnesota | 30 days after term starts @ |
| Mississippi | MTAG and MESG Grants - September 15, 2010 @# HELP Scholarship - March 31, 2010 @# |
| Missouri | April 1, 2010 @# |
| Montana | March 1, 2010 #& |
| Nebraska | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Nevada | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| New Hampshire | May 1, 2010 @ |
| New Jersey | 2009-2010 Tuition Aid Grant recipients - June 1, 2010 @ All other applications - October 1, 2010, for fall and spring terms @; March 1, 2011, for spring term only @ |
| New Mexico | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| New York | May 1, 2011 @+* |
| North Carolina | Check with your finanacial aid administrator |
| North Dakota | March 15, 2010 & |
| Northern Mariana Islands | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Ohio | October 1, 2010 @ |
| Oklahoma | April 15, 2010 @# |
| Oregon | OSAC scholarship - March 1, 2010 Oregon Opportunity Grant - check with your financial aid adminstrator |
| Palau | Check with your financial aid administrator* |
| Pennsylvania | All 2009-2010 State Grant recipients and all non-2009-2010 State Grant recipients in degree programs - May 1, 2010 @* All other applicants - August 1, 2010 @* |
| Puerto Rico | Check with your financial aid administrator |
| Rhode Island | March 1, 2010 &#</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">South Carolina</td><td width="73%">Tuition Grants - June 30, 2010 @<p></p><p>SC Commission on Higher Education - no deadline</p></td></tr><tr><td width="27%">South Dakota</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Tennessee</td><td width="73%">For State Grant - February 15, 2010 @#<p></p><p>For State Lottery - September 1, 2010 @#</p></td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Texas</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">U.S. Virgin Islands</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Utah</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Vermont</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Virginia</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Washington</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">West Virginia</td><td width="73%">April 15, 2010 @#*</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Wisconsin</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator</td></tr><tr><td width="27%">Wyoming</td><td width="73%">Check with your financial aid administrator*</td></tr></tbody></table><p><em>* Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.</em></p><p><em>^ Applicants encouraged to obtain proof of mailing.</em></p><p><em># For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.</em></p><p><em>@ Deadline by midnight, Central Daylight Time.</em></p><p><em>& Deadline by midnight, Central Standard Time. </em></p><p>This information came to light from <a href="http://consumerist.com/2010/03/students-dont-forget-to-fill-out-your-fafsa.html">an article</a> in <a href="http://consumerist.com/">Consumerist.com</a>. As with all postings on that very interesting site, reader comments add to the flavor. Here's a sampling from their article on FAFSA deadlines:</p><p><em>I've already filled mine out. Now I just have to worry about what Alabama's gonna do with my PACT money that pays my tuition & part of my lab fees. Yay, government....</em></p><p>**********</p><p><em>My state's deadline was March 1st, so this has long past for me. It took forever to get my parents to finally fill out their taxes so I could submit it.</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p></p><div><p></p><p><em>Priority deadlines for Tennessee Student Assistance Awards were February 15th. I hate the FAFSA.</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p></p><div><p></p><p><em>It's worth saying that, even if you think you don't have a good chance of getting financial aid, apply anyway! It really only takes about a half hour (maybe 45 minutes tops) and, heck, it's free. Might as well take a chance and see what they say.</em></p><p><em>(On that note, the URL is <a href="http://www.fafsa.ed.gov">http://www.fafsa.ed.gov</a>, NOT fafsa.com or fafsa.org or fafsa.net. It's like that FreeCreditReport.com BS... fafsa.com and fafsa.net are agencies that will charge you to fill out the FAFSA or try to sell you something else. fafsa.org just redirects to another business.)</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p></p><div><p></p><p><em>I'm kind of torn on this. Should you completely blow off the FAFSA? Maybe. I stopped bothering with mine. My EFC always came back too high and not useful unless I was going to someplace like Harvard or MIT. This was also me applying right when the window opened, so I consider myself getting in early before it was too late.</em></p><p><em>If you make a decent living, chances are you won't get any financial aid. This is really reserved for individuals or families that are not making too much money. You may ultimately get an offer for a low interest loan, but don't expect any free money.</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p></p><div><p></p><p><em>Just a FYI - the June 30th 2010 deadline is for the 09-10 school year! If you will be going to school in the upcoming school year you have until June 30th of 2011. For the fall and spring terms fill out the 2010-2011 FAFSA (be sure to fill out the correct year!).</em></p><p><em>All that being said - GO FILL IT OUT NOW! Many schools run out of SEOG and Perkins funds early on. If you're in Illinois - MAP Grant funds are running out as you read this.</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p><em>Just a word of advice from someone who is in school right now.. DON'T</em></p><p><em>WAIT TILL NOW to fill out your FAFSA!! A lot of the extra monies you can receive in school are based on a first come/first serve basis until the pool is dry. ALWAYS fill out your FAFSA January 1st, estimate your taxes based on last years income.. and then once your tax papers come in.. do them IMMEDIATELY and go back in and EDIT your FAFSA. That will put you always at the top of the list for the extra grants available at your school that have the FC/FS standards. Doing these things will get you free money for books, free money for transportation and a few others.</em></p><p><em>**********</em></p><p><em>Remember that the laws that established the federal financial aid programs were intended to establish that no student should be denied an education due to cost. Now that does not mean that you can always go to the school of your choice, some schools are going to be too expensive, even with financial aid. But due to network of state and county colleges, there is an affordable alternative for everyone. The fact that almost everybody is at least eligible for student loans ensures that.</em></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><em>***</em></p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">There are a few other helpful comments, but you should keep checking this discussion for other helpful input. The FAFSA: enjoy it every year as you do when you look forward to doing your taxes!</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">**********</p><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Be sure to check out all my admissions-related articles and book reviews at <a href="http://www.collegeconfidential.com/" target="_blank">College Confidential</a>.</p><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p><p></p></div><p></p> |