Financial Aid Applications

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You will have to apply for student financial aid every year. This is required so that changes to income and status can be calculated. You may qualify for more assistance than the year before and not even know it. You may qualify for less. There may be new scholarships and grants available which were not there in previous years. Either way, if you do not submit a new application each year, your funding will end.

The Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used to apply for the Pell grant and other forms of financial aid like the Stafford Loan and Perkins Loan. This form must be filled out each year. Filling it out incorrectly or omitting information will get the application rejected.

When you fill out the FAFSA the person the form is referring to is the person asking for financial aid. Sometimes parents have mistakenly filled out the form thinking the I's and You's referred to them. It is the student the form is referring to.

It is always best to get any forms you may need prior to filling out the application. You will have everything within reach or easy access. This saves time and can save on costly omissions. There are many times the applicant does not have the information at the time and thinks he or she will go back and fill it in later. What usually happens is the applicant forgets and the FAFSA is rejected. Do not let this happen to you.

These are the things you will need to fill out the FAFSA.
1) Your social security card
2) Your driver's license or state issued ID
3) The tax return for the previous year (if you are an independent applicant)
4) Your parent's tax return (if your status is dependent)
5) Bank statements
6) Tax exempt income information (social security information-tempo...

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...ning balance. Your parents may elect to have this money deposited into your school account or be given directly to you. It is their choice.

There is interest charged on the PLUS loan. The interest is calculated from the time the loan monies are dispersed until the debt is paid in full. At the time of this writing, the interest rate for the 2007-2008 school year is 8.02%.

There is a fee associated with the disbursement of these loans. This fee is charged each time the money is distributed. Generally, the fee can be up to 4% of the loan and is paid each time the loan payments are dispersed. Late fees can apply for late payments on the loan.

The payments for the PLUS loans begin approximately two months after the last payment of funds have been made. These loans must be paid back while you are still in school. There are no deferments with this type of loan.

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