Guidance

FAFSA CHANGES ARE HERE

What do you need?

• If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need this information for you and your parents.
• You and your parents will need an FSA (Federal Student Aid) ID to access the FAFSA® and sign the form electronically. The FSA ID must be obtained at studentaid.gov before you start the FAFSA®, and it is recommend to  apply 3-5 days before you plan on starting the FAFSA®. 
  • Your Social Security number
  •  Your parents’ Social Security numbers
• What do you no longer need?
  • Student and parent tax documents. All of this information will be automatically accessed from the IRS through the FUTURE Act Direct Data Exchange (FADDX).

Keep in mind that filing the FAFSA® is free—you should never be asked to pay to complete the form.

If your financial aid status has changed, you must complete the FAFSA® with the information required, and then follow up with your school’s financial aid office for further advice.

To be eligible for federal financial aid, you must file the FAFSA® for each year you’ll be in school.

December 1, 2023 is the beginning of financial aid season.  You will be able to complete your FAFSA application online on December 1, 2023.  

Before completing the application be sure to get your Fed ID*

https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch

Once you have received your Fed ID you are ready to begin the FAFSA process.*

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

*When applying for both the ID and FAFSA do not use your school email.  You will need to supply a permanent email address.

College Application Time has begun!  Here is great info regarding the Early Application...

What to Know About Applying Early

If you find a college that you’re sure is right for you, consider applying early. Early Decision and Early Action plans allow you to apply early (usually in November) and get an admission decision early (usually by Dec. 15).

Early Decision plans are binding

You agree to attend the college if it accepts you and offers an adequate financial aid package. You can apply to only one college for Early Decision. You may also apply to other colleges through the regular admission process, but if you’re accepted by your first-choice college early, you must withdraw all other applications.

Early Action plans are nonbinding

While the college will tell you whether or not you’re accepted by early January, you have the right to wait until May 1 before responding. This gives you time to compare colleges, including their financial aid offers, before making a decision. You can also apply Early Action to more than one college.

Single-choice Early Action is another option offered by a few colleges

This plan works the same way as other Early Action plans, but candidates may not apply early (either Early Action or Early Decision) to any other school. You can still apply for regular admission to other schools and are not required to give your final answer of acceptance until the regular decision deadline.

If you need financial aid, Early Decision might not be a good idea

You shouldn’t apply under an Early Decision plan if you think you’ll be better off weighing financial aid packages from several colleges later in the spring. While you can turn down an early acceptance if the college is unable to meet your need for financial aid, “need” in this context is determined by formulas, not by your family

Not every college offers an early plan

More than 400 colleges offer an Early Decision plan, an Early Action plan, or both; but that is less than 20 percent of all colleges.
 

SCHOOL CODE TRIAD HIGH SCHOOL

Code: 363845

GET HELP PAYING FOR COLLEGE!

To complete the FAFSA, you need:

• Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)

• Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student

• Your driver’s license number if you have one

• Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen

• 2021 Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents, if you are a dependent student:

  • IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ

  • Foreign tax return

  • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau

• Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents, if you are a dependent student

• Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

Student Loans Without a Cosigner Guide

https://studentloans.net/student-loans-without-a-cosigner/