Fafsa

FAFSA is a four-letter word in some households. In others, it's a mystery. As millions of parents and college students know, FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the 1040-like form college-bound students must submit to be eligible for financial assistance. Uncle Sam's computers look over the form and determine how much students and their families should be expected to contribute toward paying for college. The rest can be made up through grants, loans and work-study.

In a few months, Baltimore high school senior Jose De La Cruz will have to make a tough decision: Attend Towson University, a strong academic program that will keep him close to his family, or head to Westminster's McDaniel College, whose computer science program looks promising. But at least he can now worry less about how much that decision will cost him. De La Cruz, who will graduate from Digital Harbor High School in the spring, is one of hundreds of city high- schoolers who have been poked, prodded and inundated with information in an aggressive city campaign to encourage families to take advantage of billions available in financial aid. "I feel relieved because I was nervous about how much money I was going to get, but now I feel like I have nothing to worry about," De La Cruz said this week, after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at his school.

In a few months, Baltimore high school senior Jose De La Cruz will have to make a tough decision: Attend Towson University, a strong academic program that will keep him close to his family, or head to Westminster's McDaniel College, whose computer science program looks promising. But at least he can now worry less about how much that decision will cost him. De La Cruz, who will graduate from Digital Harbor High School in the spring, is one of hundreds of city high- schoolers who have been poked, prodded and inundated with information in an aggressive city campaign to encourage families to take advantage of billions available in financial aid. "I feel relieved because I was nervous about how much money I was going to get, but now I feel like I have nothing to worry about," De La Cruz said this week, after completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at his school.

On Thursday, families can start submitting the federal student aid form that will determine how much in loans and grants a college student will receive next school year. Granted, filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, sort of like an extra-long tax return, isn't a fun way to ring in the New Year. But doing so can be the first good financial move you make next year. "The sooner you get it done, the better," says Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid, an online provider of aid information.

Millions of college students are passing up the opportunity for financial aid. About half of undergraduates enrolled in the 1999-2000 academic year, or about 8 million students, did not submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, according to an American Council on Education study released in October of the latest available data. The FAFSA is the standard application used by the federal government and most universities to award financial aid, and experts can't pinpoint why the application rate isn't higher.

Colleges urge parents and students to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid as early as possible after the new year, but rushing to fill out this important yet complicated form can lead to mistakes. Students must complete the FAFSA to apply for federal aid. States and colleges typically rely on the FAFSA, too, to award their aid.

FOR HOUSEHOLDS with college-bound students, January will seem more like the hectic days leading up to April 15, with parents scrambling to get their tax and income information together as they begin the financial aid process. Jan. 1 is the first day that families can submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form that's used to determine what federal aid a college student will receive for the coming academic year. States and many private schools also use the FAFSA for dishing out aid. Even if students and their parents don't think they will be eligible for aid, they should fill out the form, experts said.

It may not be the most entertaining way to spend the first days of 2004, but college-bound youths and adults should start filling out financial aid applications as quickly as possible in the new year. The reason: Jan. 1 was the first day that students could apply for financial aid, and some aid is given out on a first-come, first-served basis, said Martha Holler, spokeswoman for student lender Sallie Mae in Washington. But don't move too quickly. There are many tricks to filling out financial aid forms and even trivial errors can prove costly.

If you have just finished applying for financial aid for a college student, you might have a few gray hairs. Filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - the form required for obtaining low-interest loans and college grants and scholarships - is a grueling process. It's so confusing and time-consuming that parents often start to think of their tax return as a walk in the park by comparison. Keep your eye on Congress if you are among them. A bill sponsored by two Democrats, Rep. George Miller of California and Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, is intended to make it easier to apply for financial aid. The "College Aid Made EZ Act" would simplify the FAFSA form.

NEW YORK -- Students in need of federal financial aid, for the current school year or for a trade school, cooled their heels in January. Applications were held up for 18 days during the most recent government shutdown.Your application -- called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) -- discloses your income and assets. Normally, the FAFSAs are processed in two to three weeks.But the shutdown stopped the show for some 120,000 to 140,000 applicants, even though some work went on. Any student applying at the last minute had to scramble for money in order to be accepted for class.

If you have just finished applying for financial aid for a college student, you might have a few gray hairs. Filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) - the form required for obtaining low-interest loans and college grants and scholarships - is a grueling process. It's so confusing and time-consuming that parents often start to think of their tax return as a walk in the park by comparison. Keep your eye on Congress if you are among them. A bill sponsored by two Democrats, Rep. George Miller of California and Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, is intended to make it easier to apply for financial aid. The "College Aid Made EZ Act" would simplify the FAFSA form.

Filling out financial aid forms is difficult enough, but it can be particularly challenging for today's blended families. Ask Bill from Elkton. Bill is divorced and his two daughters live with his ex. He lives with his second wife and her son. He's working on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form for his stepson. Bill says it looks like his income will be included on his stepson's FAFSA along with the income of the boy's father. "This seems like a double whammy," he says.

Colleges urge parents and students to submit their Free Application for Federal Student Aid as early as possible after the new year, but rushing to fill out this important yet complicated form can lead to mistakes. Students must complete the FAFSA to apply for federal aid. States and colleges typically rely on the FAFSA, too, to award their aid.

FOR HOUSEHOLDS with college-bound students, January will seem more like the hectic days leading up to April 15, with parents scrambling to get their tax and income information together as they begin the financial aid process. Jan. 1 is the first day that families can submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the form that's used to determine what federal aid a college student will receive for the coming academic year. States and many private schools also use the FAFSA for dishing out aid. Even if students and their parents don't think they will be eligible for aid, they should fill out the form, experts said.

Millions of college students are passing up the opportunity for financial aid. About half of undergraduates enrolled in the 1999-2000 academic year, or about 8 million students, did not submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, according to an American Council on Education study released in October of the latest available data. The FAFSA is the standard application used by the federal government and most universities to award financial aid, and experts can't pinpoint why the application rate isn't higher.

Financial aid administrators will hold the third annual College Goal Sunday in Millersville to help high school students fill out FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) forms for federal assistance with college tuition. Students should bring proof of the income and benefits that they and their parents received in 2003, such as completed federal tax returns and W-2 forms. The event, which begins Sunday at 2 p.m. at Old Mill High School, 600 Patriot Lane, is organized by college and university officials in Maryland, Washington and Delaware.

As another new year quickly approaches, I've suddenly realized there's no time for making resolutions this year. Why would I abandon this time-honored tradition that offers each of us another chance to get it right? Certainly not by choice, not this year anyway.No, this New Year's Day I'll be busy hunting receipts and making deduction lists, getting ready to attack the 1040 earlier than I ever have. In a normal year, there would be plenty of time to get everything together. But '95 will not be a normal year for us. We have a kid getting ready for college and have to file our first federal student aid application (FAFSA)

Financial aid administrators will hold the third annual College Goal Sunday in Millersville to help high school students fill out FAFSA (Free Application For Student Aid) forms for federal assistance with college tuition. Students should bring proof of the income and benefits that they and their parents received in 2003, such as completed federal tax returns and W-2 forms. The event, which begins Sunday at 2 p.m. at Old Mill High School, 600 Patriot Lane, is organized by college and university officials in Maryland, Washington and Delaware.

It may not be the most entertaining way to spend the first days of 2004, but college-bound youths and adults should start filling out financial aid applications as quickly as possible in the new year. The reason: Jan. 1 was the first day that students could apply for financial aid, and some aid is given out on a first-come, first-served basis, said Martha Holler, spokeswoman for student lender Sallie Mae in Washington. But don't move too quickly. There are many tricks to filling out financial aid forms and even trivial errors can prove costly.

FAFSA is a four-letter word in some households. In others, it's a mystery. As millions of parents and college students know, FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the 1040-like form college-bound students must submit to be eligible for financial assistance. Uncle Sam's computers look over the form and determine how much students and their families should be expected to contribute toward paying for college. The rest can be made up through grants, loans and work-study.