This time of year, myself and my co-workers are busy helping
students and their families complete the Free Application for Federal Student
Aid (FAFSA). It is important to realize
that completing this application is just the first step in the process of applying
for and eventually receiving financial aid.
Hopefully, a student does not complete the FAFSA and just forget about
it until that first bill comes from the college in early August. There are usually some additional steps that must be taken
before a college sends an award letter to the student informing them of what
kinds of financial aid they could expect to receive. I will outline what happens after the FAFSA
is completed.
After a FAFSA is submitted, the student will receive an
email within 3-7 days with a link back to the FAFSA website allowing them to
view or print their results (Student Aid Report, or SAR). If the student did not provide an email
address, the SAR will be mailed to the student after approximately 10
days. The SAR will tell the student if
there any “issues” with application and tell them how to resolve them (such as
a missing signature, for example). It
will also tell the student whether or not they have been selected for a process
called verification.
If a student is selected for verification, it means that the
colleges that the student listed on the FAFSA are required to verify the
information provided before awarding financial aid. Usually, about 1/3 of the applicants are
selected for this process. If you notice
on the SAR that you have been selected for this process, you do not have to do
anything immediately, the colleges will let the student know what to do next.
When the college contacts the student to gather the
verification information, there are two main things to keep in mind: timeliness and accuracy. Whenever a college asks for more information,
be sure to respond in a timely manner.
Remember, some financial aid is awarded on a first come, first served
basis, and you do not want to miss out on financial aid because you delayed in
getting information back to the college.
On the verification form, it will explain what the college
needs in the form of tax returns and additional documentation. Be sure to answer all of the questions completely
and follow the directions.
One question on the verification form that students might
have difficulty with is when it asks about Household Size. There are many
situations where a family has a son or daughter that does NOT LIVE in the
household, however, they should still be included in the number in the
household on the FAFSA.
It is important to
know who should be considered in the household size number. The question and the explanation about who
should be included is from the actual Financial Aid Application below:
How many people are in your parents’ household?
Include: • yourself, even if you don’t live with your
parents, • your parents, • your
parents’ other children (even if they do not live with your parents) if
(a) your parents will provide more than half of their support between July 1,
2018 and June 30, 2019, or (b)
the children could answer “No” to every question in Step Three on page 5 of
this form, and • other people if they now live with your parents, your
parents provide more than half of their support and your parents will continue
to provide more than half of their support between July 1, 2018 and June 30,
2019.
Here are the questions in Step Three:
46. Were you born before January 1, 1995? . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . .
47. As of today, are
you married? (Also answer “Yes” if you are separated but not divorced.) . . . .
. . . . . .
48. At the beginning
of the 2018-2019 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate
program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, graduate certificate, etc.)?. .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
49. Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S.
Armed Forces for purposes other than training? See Notes page 9. . . . .
50. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces? See Notes
page 9.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51. Do you now have or will you have children who will
receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2018 and June
30, 2019?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
52. Do you have
dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who
receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30,
2019? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
53. At any time since you turned age 13, were both your
parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of
the court? See Notes page 10.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
54. As determined by a court in your state of legal
residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor? See Notes page 10. . . .
55. Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship
of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence? See Notes
page 10. . . . . .
56. At any time on or after July 1, 2017, did your high
school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an
unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of
being homeless? See Notes page 10. . . . . .
57. At any time on or
after July 1, 2017, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional
housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting
and at risk of being homeless? See Notes page 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
58. At any time on or after July 1, 2017, did the director
of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program
determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were
self-supporting and at risk of being homeless? See Notes page 10. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .
So, for the most part, until a son or daughter turns 24,
gets married, or has a child that they provide more than ½ the support for,
they would have to use their parents information if they were to apply for
financial aid. Therefore, they should
also be used as a number in the parent’s household on a dependent student’s application,
even if they do not actually live there!
This can be confusing but it is very important!
The key to be taken away from all of this is to be sure to
ask for help from the college or any ICAN Student Success Advisor if you have
ANY questions about this process. Again,
accuracy is very important and I have seen instances where students have missed
out on thousands of dollars of grant money because of answering this question
incorrectly!
Appointments to get assistance in completing the FAFSA or in
getting help with the verification process can be made by either calling
877-272-4692 or by going to www.icansucceed.org/apt.
John - ICAN Waterloo & Hiawatha Centers
