FAFSA is a free-for-all tool that allows needy students access to numerous financial aid, including grants, need-based scholarships, work-study awards as well as federal student loans.
And like all other university requirements, submitting your application on time ensures that you’ll be considered for almost all types of federal aid.
It should be clearly understood that meeting the deadline for FAFSA not only qualifies you for Pell grant but it also entitles you to be considered for various state and college scholarships as well.
What is the deadline in applying for a FAFSA?
The U.S. Department of Education sets June 30 of each year as the last day of accepting Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
But this deadline is not necessarily followed by all states. FAFSA application deadlines does not follow a uniform date of submission, so it’s wise to check with the financial aid office of the school(s) you are interested in attending as each state may have a different deadline for FAFSA.
For examples:
- February 15 is the deadline for submission of FAFSA applications in Connecticut. The states of California, Idaho, Indiana and Maryland follow the same trend as is the state of Michigan closing all applications by early March.
- First come, first served basis: Illinois, Kentucky, North and South Carolina, Tennessee and Vermont.
Generally, you can begin submitting your FAFSA as early as January 1 but should not be later than June 30 while necessary documents must be filed no later than April 1 for applications to be deemed as “priority”.
Tips in meeting FAFSA deadlines:
- Start searching for scholarships for the Fall semester, check their requirements before submitting. In case you were not able to make the cut, work on the Spring deadlines next.
- For the Fall semester, most financial aid have to be submitted by March while college available aids may require documents as early as February. With that in mind, begin your search as early as September to make it to the Fall deadlines and so on.
- Aids that award bigger amounts generally have the earliest deadlines.
Along with the government, schools and private organizations have given priority to single mothers who are trying to fulfill their college dreams.
As such, to avoid missing deadlines and rushing to get it submitted at the last minute, it’s always in your best interest to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.
