Fed Financial

How long does it take to apply and get approved / enrolled into college ? financial aid ?

how long does it take for a parent to process application for child for college ? determine if there is financial aid / borrow money if needed ? what is processing time for this ?

Public Comments

1. Apply for both early in your child's senior year. This will allow plenty of time. If this is your child's senior year, start RIGHT NOW. It's still early in December, so it's not too late; in fact, now is the perfect time. If you're in the U.S., fill out the federal FAFSA form to find out if your child is eligible for Pell Grants (free money!) or other financial aid. If you have your tax returns ready it will take no more than 30-45 minutes to fill out. Web sites like fastweb.com are good places to search for scholarships. You should also Google your state government's education web site to find out what kind of scholarships they offer to students who stay in state. Most students with scholarships get them directly from their school or state government. Good luck!
2. that is a good question. it can vary depending on many factors. I enrolled two weeks before class started. You will have lots of documents to fill out. Make sure your taxes are up to date if you file for federal aid. I didnt file in april and I had to file in october to recieve the aid, which made for a few late fees. gl
3. Usually all these things are done the year before the student wants to attend. For classes starting in Sept. 08, most applications for financial aid and applications/submissions for entry would be completed in Fall/early Winter 07. Obviously, it depends on the college you wish to attend. A community college timeline is much shorter than a large 4 year university. Many smaller colleges let you apply at any time, even, (depending on open places) until the day classes start. If you want federal financial aid (FAFSA), APPLY EARLY! I'd be applying soon for the next college year. The sooner you apply, the more you will get, and you will be (if you qualify) guaranteed that amount. If you apply later, you may not get as much, and the amount you receive will be for the entire school year, not just one semester. Checking the individual college's website will help give you deadlines and dates, as each college is different. Good luck on your college education. You'll never regret it!
4. if you have everything in before the priority date, (the date establish by your state for the FAFSA) then it usually depends on the school. A university will usually have those things pumped out in a month because come april and may they are scraping the barrel for financial aid. Never went to a community college, but I hear they are very slow.
5. About 6 months. Lots of paper work, and documentation of their finances to fill out. Contrats, and good luck.
6. early senior year
7. The time varies from school to school, but as a general rule the fafsa should be filled out as soon after Jan 1st as possible during the students senior year. This is when the 08-09 application will go on line. Apply before that and you'll be applying for the current semester or this summer.... Scholarship searches need to happen now.... as well as campus tours of prospective schools... here is an excellent publication regarding the fin aid process. There is a good flow chart included.