The FAFSA and PHEAA
The FAFSA
Every year of college you will need to complete the FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Completing the FAFSA makes you eligible to receive federal financial aid as well as helps to determine how much aid Pennsylvania or your college will give you. This is done by determining your EFC (expected family contribution) based off of the results of your FAFSA. Your EFC is how much of the cost of your college education it is expected that your family will pay.
Completing the FAFSA
While the FAFSA may seem to be a large obstacle in your path, the FAFSA is relatively simple to complete. It typically takes only 20 minutes to complete, and if your family already has their taxes done, it can take even less time by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The data retrieval tool autofills information straight from your family's tax return and helps to reduce the risk of any errors in your FAFSA. With recent changes to the FAFSA, your family will use prior-prior year tax information. For seniors applying to college for the 2017-18 school year, you will use 2015 tax information. The FAFSA is now available as of October 1st, which is significantly earlier in the school year than before.
To complete the FAFSA, you will need to set up a username and password, also called your FSA ID. To set up your FSA ID and to complete
the FAFSA, you will want to go to the FAFSA website. You can also find many valuable resources about financial aid on the
Through NerdScholar, you can find a FAFSA Completion Tutorial. This tutorial will help to guide you through your FAFSA application.
You may also attend a FAFSA completion night at your school or a local college. Check with your guidance counselor or a representative
from PHEAA to see what completion options there are at your school. Before beginning the FAFSA, take a look at the FAFSA and PHEAA
checklist on the right make sure you have all of the information necessary to complete the FAFSA.
After the FAFSA
Once you have completed the FAFSA, you will want to complete the application for PHEAA. PHEAA is the organization responsible for
giving out financial aid from the state of Pennsylvania. Immediately after submitting the FAFSA, there will be an option to complete the
PHEAA application. It only takes a few more minutes and will allow you to be eligible for state aid.
The Importance of DEADLINES
When it comes to financial aid, it is best to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. CHECK ON WHEN YOUR COLLEGE WANTS YOU TO HAVE YOUR FAFSA COMPLETED. This is the first year for students and families to be using the prior-prior year format, so colleges may have varying deadlines and you may receive a financial aid package from one school earlier than you another school. Colleges will give out financial aid until they run out of funds. Waiting longer to complete the FAFSA could mean less financial aid for you.
For more information...
If you have more questions about the FAFSA, talk to your guidance counselor or a representative from PHEAA. There are also many useful resources found on the Biglerville High School Financial Aid page.
