If you want to apply to college this year, the most crucial thing you should know is how to fill out the FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Funding, to apply for federal aid. But you also have to be aware of the FAFSA deadline so you don’t miss your chances.
If you’re well prepared, filling out the FAFSA can be simple, and it’s well worth the time and work.
With that said, here’s everything you need to know about FAFSA deadline 2022, including other essential tips you need to know.
What Is The Purpose Of The FAFSA, And Why Is It Necessary?
The Free Application for Federal Student Help (FAFSA) is a form that students (and their parents) fill out to apply for federal financial aid for college. The FAFSA is a form that helps institutions and the U.S. Department of Education assess your financial need and decide how much financial aid you need.
The FAFSA is your gateway to federal and state student aid, including loans (which you must repay), grants (which you don’t have to repay), and work-study opportunities (money you have to work for).
The FAFSA helps establish how much financial aid you are eligible for. And how much your family is required to contribute toward the cost of your education, which varies by school.
The information you give on the FAFSA concerning your family’s income is shared with the universities you plan to apply to and state higher-education agencies in the states where those schools are located.
FAFSA Deadline: The FAFSA For 2022-2023 Is Already Open
The FAFSA for 2022-2023 was opened on October 1, 2021. For all states, the start date is the same. You have until June 30, 2022, to apply for financial aid for the academic year 2021-2022.
Ensure you don’t miss the deadline to avoid losing out on any federal financial aid you may be eligible for.
Remember that specific federal help is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. So apply quickly, especially if you have a significant financial need.
What To Know When Filing Your FAFSA
When filing your FAFSA for the following year, there are a few things to keep in mind as the deadline approaches. First, the FAFSA application is available until the end of the school year.
The FAFSA deadline is June 30, 2023, if you plan to attend school in the 2022-23 academic year. You will, however, miss out on financial aid for the spring and fall semesters if you wait until then. In this case, you would only be eligible for financial aid for summer classes.
Why Should You Submit Your FAFSA As Soon As Possible?
Many university-based and state-funded scholarships and fellowships are awarded first-come, first-served. So if you wait too long to fill out the FAFSA, that money could be gone.
Also, the sooner you apply, the sooner you’ll receive your university’s financial aid award letter. If you haven’t completed the FAFSA, the college will be unable to determine how much financial aid you are eligible for. This could make deciding on a college more difficult.
Is It Possible To Make Changes To The FAFSA After Submission?
As long as the final deadline hasn’t passed, you can make changes to your FAFSA. Changes to your personal information, contact information, or dependent status are examples of this. You should also notify the colleges you’ve applied to that you’ve amended your FAFSA.
If you entered the incorrect Social Security number (SSN) on the form, you’d have to start over or contact each institution where you completed the FAFSA and request that the SSN be updated. You can also alter it by mail, but it will take many weeks to complete the process.
Financial facts, such as savings account balances, are things you can’t change. However, speak with your school’s financial assistance office about your choices if you predict severe financial difficulty in the coming academic year that isn’t listed on your FAFSA.
FAFSA Deadlines And Other School Deadlines
Individual deadlines for scholarships and grants are equally crucial as the school’s FAFSA deadline. University funds may be provided on a first-come, first-served basis, with those who qualify to apply as soon as possible having the best chance of receiving them.
Financial assistance award letters can be sent out on various dates by each school. Ask the financial aid offices for the deadlines and opening dates that relate to your specific financial and academic condition once you’ve narrowed down your selection of institutions.
Schools may require additional applications beyond the FAFSA for special scholarships and grants.
FAFSA Deadline: 3 Steps To Apply For FAFSA
Because the FAFSA is so important in the financial aid process, you’ll want to know how to fill it out correctly. Filling out the FAFSA application does not have to be complicated or time-consuming. Filling out the FAFSA can be a painless procedure if you follow these guidelines.
Create An FSA ID.
Your Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID) is a unique number assigned to you by the federal government. In addition, you’ll need to create a password, including a username to gain access to the U.S. Education Department websites.
Your FSA ID recognizes you as an individual who has access to personal information on E.D. websites, such as the FAFSA.
Gather All Necessary Documents
The FAFSA application requires various paperwork to be completed correctly. Before you sit down to fill out the application, make sure you have all of the following documents on hand:
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Social Security numbers of your parents (if you’re a dependent student)
- The number on your driver’s license (if you have one)
- Number of Alien Registration (if you’re not a U.S. citizen)
- Federal tax information or tax returns are required for the previous two years. If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need your parents and your own, or your spouse’s if you’re married.
- Child support, alimony, interest income, and veterans’ non-education benefits are all examples of untaxed income.
- Checking and savings accounts, stocks and bonds, and real estate are all examples of current assets (not including the home you live in.)
If you are a dependent student, you will need to obtain this information for both yourself and your parents or you and your spouse if you are married. If you are not a dependent and are single, you will need your information for each item listed above.
Fill Out The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
The following step is to complete the FAFSA application. You can do so by visiting www.fafsa.gov and selecting ‘Start a New FAFSA.’
The following are the steps you will take:
- Fill in your personal information, including your name, SSN, and other identifying information.
- You’ll make a list of colleges and schools that will receive information from your FAFSA application. If you haven’t determined which school you want to attend yet, you can list up to ten options.
- To determine whether you are a dependent or independent student, you must first assess your dependency status.
- You will record your parents’ income if you are a dependent student.
- All of your financial information will be entered.
- Your FAFSA application will be signed and submitted.
Overall, completing the FAFSA is a simple procedure. You should have no trouble filling out the application if you prepare ahead of time. Before you begin the application, gather the necessary papers and make a list of the schools to which you want to send your FAFSA.
4 Common FAFSA Mistakes To Avoid
Many FAFSA mistakes can be avoided if you know what to look for before beginning. Here are a few to remember:
If you don’t think you qualify for financial help, fill out the FAFSA. Don’t forget to fill out the FAFSA. You’d be amazed how many people miss out on federal or state funding options because they didn’t think the FAFSA was right for them. Take the time to fill it out; you might be eligible for assistance you weren’t aware of.
Only use the myStudentAid or fafsa.gov mobile app to apply. Make sure you fill out your application on fafsa.gov or the myStudentAid mobile app. Some non-government websites will pose as the legitimate application and levy a fee, but remember that the FAFSA should never be free!
Submit your application quickly. While you should submit your FAFSA before the deadline, you should do so as soon as possible. By waiting, you risk missing out on free money for education, as many funds are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis.
To avoid delays, thoroughly complete the following sections of the application: To minimize changes and processing delays – or to have to resubmit your application entirely - fill out the FAFSA thoroughly. Before choosing an answer, read the directions and definitions. The following are examples of common mistakes:
- Dependency status
- Who is reported as a parent
- Number of family members in college
- Social security number
- Names
- Household size
Who Should Fill Out The FAFSA Form?
If you plan to attend graduate or college school in the United States, you should probably fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA is required of all U.S. citizens and permanent residents attending college.
Some university financial aid departments will even invite international students to apply, as the FAFSA can assist them in determining if they are eligible for institutional aid.
Some individuals believe that the FAFSA is only for kids who need financial aid for college. However, failing to complete the FAFSA because you believe you are not eligible for need-based financial aid is a significant error.
The FAFSA is a form that universities use to see if you qualify for financial aid, including non-need-based money. You may not be eligible for financial help from your school or the government if you do not complete the FAFSA.
FAFSA Deadline: What Does Dependent Or Independent Applicant Mean?
You must assess whether you are financially reliant on a parent on the FAFSA. Dependency is that you are legally reliant on someone other than yourself; for example, most high school students rely on their parents.
A parent is defined as any of the following for according to FAFSA:
- Who is your biological mother or father?
- A parent adopted you.
- Your birth or adoptive parent’s step-parent
- You are deemed dependent if you reside with a parent.
If you live alone or with grandparents or close friends or siblings and are still in contact with your parents. You may, nevertheless, be deemed self-sufficient if you can:
- 24 years of age and up
- Married
- Providing financial assistance for your children
- If you’re orphaned, in foster care, under legal guardianship, or a court ward,
The FAFSA asks you a series of questions to determine your dependent status, but knowing your dependency status ahead of time might help you figure out which papers you’ll need.
Do You Need Your Parent’s Help To Apply For FAFSA?
If you’re dependent on the FAFSA, you’ll almost certainly require your parents’ assistance filling out the form, particularly in the parts about their assets.
Set aside some time with them to sit down and complete the application all at once.
On the other hand, the mobile app allows students and parents to begin the FAFSA on the app or a desktop computer and complete it on a different device. To cooperate, you don’t have to be at the same computer at the same time.
You Can Provide Your Information To Several Schools
Because the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is free, you can (and should) send your information to as many colleges as you’re interested in.
The average cost of a college application is $40, with many colleges charging $75 or more. As a result, applying to every college or university, you might be interested in could be costly.
However, the fees you’ll spend to apply to universities are insignificant compared to the costs of obtaining your degree.
Fortunately, several tools are available to assist students in determining the expense of their degree and the level of education they may expect. These resources can assist students in reducing their student loan debt and increasing their ability to repay it.
The College Scorecard from the Department of Education contains information on 7,000 colleges, with thousands of data points revealing critical performance metrics such as college completion rates, student debt and repayment statistics, and post-college earnings.
You can use College Scorecard to look into a school’s net price by income, graduation rate, average loan debt burden for graduates, student body size and composition, median earnings 10 years after graduation, and available academic programs.
How To Make Updates, Corrections, And Finish A Verification Process
You can make some modifications on fafsa.gov or by mail. But only if there is an error on your SAR or your situation has changed. Some colleges may require you to verify the authenticity of the information you provided on your FAFSA, so double-check each response.
Prepare to resubmit your FAFSA the following year. It’s no minor feat to complete the FAFSA, but bear in mind that you’ll have to repeat the process each year you’re in school, so utilize this year as a learning experience to make it easier in the future.
If you’re having difficulties finding the correct paperwork, save a copy of each one in a FAFSA folder as you come across them, such as when you file your taxes.
Similarly, if you have to make many revisions after receiving your SAR, consider how you may be more cautious in the future to prevent unnecessary processes.
Final Thoughts
You should apply for the FAFSA each year when you start college. In addition to determining your eligibility for scholarships and grants, the FAFSA must get student loans.
You should submit your FAFSA application as soon as feasible. It’s a simple process that will take you along to complete online. The bottom line is not to miss the deadline and apply as soon as possible.
Lastly, colleges, believe it or not, have their deadlines. After all, they have their scholarships and grants to award, and the majority of them reward students who apply for FAFSA as soon as feasible.
Many institutions impose FAFSA deadline for submissions. That implies that if you apply early and on time, you will be considered the greatest money from that school. This date is often prominently displayed on financial assistance websites, so that’s a brilliant place to start. However, if you’re having difficulties locating those deadlines, contact the financial assistance office at your institution.
