Fed Financial

is it too late to apply for financial aid?

im going to a junior college in the spring. is it too late to apply for financial aid for the spring semester or does it just depend on the school?

Public Comments

1. I'm not really sure but the best thing to do would be to call the school and ask them.
2. The official take on the deadline is that for the 2007-2008 School Year (July 1st, 2007 - June 30th, 2008) the deadline for applying for financial aid is midnight Central Daylight time, June 30, 2008. I would recommend starting the application online right away. If you do a search for FAFSA it will take you to the federal site. It is possible for your school to have a deadline for the coming semester but most likely that hasn’t passed, but definitely check. If they say the deadline has not passed then start the application immediately and send it in electronically. If you have not heard anything and it is close to time for fees to be paid at the college, go and ask them about being able to get an emergency loan to pay the fees until the FAFSA takes effect. My school does this often for students, it is not uncommon.
3. The Spring 2008 semester falls within the 2007-2008 academic year. The 2007-2008 FAFSA can still be filed through June 30, 2008, so YES you still have plenty of time to file. If you are beginning in January, I suggest you get online and file right away. The official government FAFSA website is www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will need to provide 2006 federal tax information for yourself (and possible your parents if you are considered a dependent student by federal student aid regulations). Many states have state-funded grants that you also apply for using the FAFSA. For example, in the state of California we have Cal Grants. There are priority deadlines for these additional grants, so it is very likely that you have missed these deadlines by now. Many schools also use FAFSA information to award campus-funded scholarships, so the deadlines for these may have passed as well since it is already the middle of the school year. So what you're looking at is applying for a Pell Grant (your basic federal grant) and federal student Stafford loans if needed. Complete your FAFSA right away. You should receive a response back from your financial aid office within 2-3 weeks. If you do not receive anything, then contact your financial aid office right away to check your status and determine if any other documentation will be required. It can take approximately 4-6 weeks to complete a financial aid file from the time you submit it online, depending on if tax documents must be submitted or if your Financial Aid Counselor must make a correction to your information, so you would still have plenty of time to get it all done BEFORE you begin classes, so long as you file immediately. Lastly, keep in mind that the FAFSA for the upcoming year becomes available January 1 of each year. So, for example, the 08-09 FAFSA will become available on January 1, 2008. If you even THINK you MIGHT attend college anytime during the 08-09 school year, file the FAFSA right away. There are no negative consequences for completing a FAFSA and then not enrolling (as long as you don't receive a check!) and it ensures that you already have one on file in case you do attend after all. Check with your financial aid office for priority deadlines for state or campus funded grants and scholarships.
4. its not too late. my sister did the same thing for last spring. just fill it out before 2008 and make sure it gets thru asap..my sis did it late (in december), and attended the next spring.....however it wasnt until the end of the spring semester did she get her money.