FAFSA DAY 2012
Applying for Financial Aid
2012-2013
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Sponsors/Partners:
Presenter:
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Types of Financial Aid
Gift Aid - Grants or scholarships
that do not need to be repaid
Work - Money earned by the
student as payment for a job on
or off campus
Loans - Borrowed money to be
paid back, usually with interest
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Sources of Financial Aid
Federal government
State government
Colleges and universities
Private agencies,
companies, foundations,
and parents’ employers
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Types of Applications
FAFSA
CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE
Institutional financial aid
application
Deadlines and requirements vary by
institution
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FAFSA on the Web
 Internet application used by students and parents
to complete electronic FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov
 Sophisticated on-line edits and skip logic so errors
are less likely to be made
 Instructions incorporated throughout application
 Student and at least one custodial parent should
get a federal PIN at www.pin.ed.gov
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FAFSA on the Web Password
 Before starting the on-line FAFSA you will be asked to create
a password
 This allows you to save your application and return to it at a
later time
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Federal PIN
 PIN (Personal Identification Number) serves as the
electronic signature
 Both student and at least one custodial
parent need a PIN to sign the FAFSA
electronically
 May also be used to:
 Utilize IRS Data Retrieval Tool
 Correct/Update FAFSA
 Add additional colleges to receive FAFSA data
Apply for PINs at
www.pin.ed.gov
 Needed each year the student completes the FAFSA
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FAFSA on the Web Worksheet
Used to collect information
for the on-line application
Does not include all
questions from the FAFSA
Do not mail this worksheet
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The FAFSA on the Web Worksheet—
A Four Section Form
Section 1 – Student information
Section 2 – Student dependency status
Section 3 – Parent financial information for
dependent students
Section 4 – Student financial information
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Section 1
(page 2)
STUDENT INFORMATION
Social Security Number
Demographic Information
Citizenship Status
Selective Service Registration
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Section 1
Citizenship Status
 If U.S. citizen, status will be confirmed by Social Security match
 If eligible noncitizen, status will be confirmed by Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) match. This includes:
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U.S. permanent residents with I-551
Conditional permanent residents with I-551C
Eligible noncitizens with I-94 with certain designations
Certification from Department of Health and Human Services with
designation of “Victim of human trafficking”
 A resident of the Republic of Palau (PW), the Republic of the Marshall
Islands (MH), or the Federated States of Micronesia (FM)
 A Canadian-born Native American under terms of the Jay Treaty
 If neither a citizen or eligible noncitizen, the student is ineligible
for federal/state aid, but may be eligible for institutional funds
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Section 1
High School Completion Status
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
High School Completion Status
When the student begins college in the
2012-2013 school year, what will be the
student’s high school completion status?
High school diploma
GED certificate
Home schooled
None of the above
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Section 1
High School Completion Status
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
 If student selects High School diploma
they will be required to list the high school
they received or will receive diploma from
 FAFSA on the Web allows students to
search for high school by name, city and
state
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Section 1
Interest in Receiving Federal Work-Study
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
FAFSA on the Web asks If the student is interested in
being considered for Federal Work-Study
 Indicating interest does not obligate the student
to work nor will it cause the student to lose grants and
scholarships
 Answering “no” may restrict the students
opportunity to utilize Federal Work-Study
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Section 1
School Selection
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
FAFSA on the Web allows the student to list up to 10
colleges/universities that will receive his/her student and
parent information
 list all schools where student is applying for admission
 If school code is not known you may search by city, state or
college name
 If the student is applying to more than ten colleges, wait for
the processed Student Aid Report (SAR) before deleting/adding
additional colleges
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Section 2
(page 2)
STUDENT DEPENDENCY STATUS
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Section 2
Determination of Student Dependency Status
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To be considered independent the student must meet one
of the following criteria
24 or older
Married
Graduate Student
Serving on active duty in U.S. Armed Forces
Veteran of U.S. Armed Forces
Have children or dependents who receive more than half of
their support
In foster care, dependent or ward of the court or parents were
deceased any time after age 13
Emancipated minor
In legal guardianship
Homeless, risk of being homeless, or unaccompanied youth
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Section 3
(page 3)
PARENT INFORMATION
Demographic Information
Financial Information
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Section 3
Who is Considered a Parent?
See instructions on page 3 of FAFSA on the Web
Worksheet
Biological or adoptive parent(s)
Stepparent (regardless of any prenuptial
agreement)
In case of divorce or separation, provide information
about the parent and/or stepparent the student lived
with more in the last 12 months
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Section 3
Who is Not a Parent?
 Do NOT provide information on:
 Foster parents or legal guardians
If the student is in foster care or has a legal guardian,
he/she is automatically considered an independent
student
 Grandparents or other relatives
The student must attempt to get biological parental
information
Colleges may use Professional Judgment to allow the
student to file as independent in special situations
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Section 3
Parents’ Tax Return Filing Status for 2011
 The student will be asked to provide information about
parent tax filing status for 2011:
 If his/her parents have completed their 2011 federal income tax
return, mark the first box
 If they have not as yet filed, but plan to file a 2011 federal
income tax return, mark the second box
 If they have not, nor will not, file a 2011 federal income tax
return and are not required to do so, mark the third box
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Section 3
Parent 2011 Adjusted Gross Income
 If the student’s parents have not yet filed their 2011
federal tax return, use estimated information for this
question
 If the student’s parents have completed their 2011
federal tax return, use actual 2011 tax return
information to complete this item.
Reminder: If the answer is zero or the question does not
apply, enter 0
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Section 3
Money Earned from Work by Parent(s) in 2011
Use W-2 forms and other records to list all income
earned from work in 2011 (including business income
earned from self-employment) for father/stepfather
and/or mother/stepmother
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Section 3
Dislocated Worker
 The student will be asked to check if the father/stepfather and/or
mother/stepmother is a dislocated worker
 A person may be considered a dislocated worker if he/she:
 is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a
job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation
 has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job
 was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic
conditions or natural disaster
 is a displaced homemaker
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Section 3
Parent 2011 U.S. Income Taxes
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
 What was the amount parents’ U.S. income tax for 2011?
 Found on federal tax return: IRS Form 1040-Line 55; 1040ALine 35; or 1040 EZ-Line 10
 Not the amount withheld from parents’ paychecks
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Section 3
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
 Used to upload federal tax data directly to FAFSA on
the Web
 Available after February 1st
 2011 federal tax return must be submitted
 If student or parents initially estimate tax data to
complete FAFSA, IRS Data Retrieval tool should be
used to update FAFSA and submit actual tax data
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Section 3
Parents’ Household 2010 or 2011 Benefits
Received
 Indicate if the student, his/her parents, or anyone
in the parents’ household received benefits in 2010
or 2011 from any of the federal programs listed
 Actual amounts received are not reported
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Section 3
2011 Parent’s Additional Financial Information
 Check all items received or paid in 2011
 FAFSA on the Web will ask for amounts
received/paid
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Section 3
2011 Parent Untaxed Income
 Check all that apply in 2011
 FAFSA on the Web will ask for amounts
received
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Section 3
Parent Assets
Parents may be asked to report:
Current balances of cash, savings and checking accounts
Net valued of investments such as real estate, rental
properties, money market and mutual funds, stocks, bonds,
college savings and other securities
Net value of businesses and investment farms
Note: Do not include the value of your primary residence, the
value of life insurance, retirement accounts and small
family businesses as described in the FAFSA instructions.
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Section 3
Parent Household Size
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
Parent Number in Household
 Include in the parents’ household:
 The student
 Parent(s)
 Parents’ other dependent children, if
the parents provide more than half their
support or the children could answer “no” to every question in
Section 2
 Other people, if they now live with the parents and will continue to
do so from 7/1/12 through 6/30/13, and if the parents provide more
than half their support now, and will continue to provide support
from 7/1/12 through 6/30/13
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Section 3
College Students in the Parent Household
An important question NOT on the Worksheet:
College Students in the Parent Household
 Always include the student even if he/she will attend college
less than half-time in 2012-2013
 Include other household members only if they will attend at
least half-time in 2012-2013 in a program that leads to a college
degree or certificate
 Do not include the parents
NOTE: Some financial aid offices will require proof that other
family members are attending college
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Section 4
(page 4)
STUDENT FINANCIAL
INFORMATION
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Section 4
Student Information
 Questions in Section 4 are identical to the
parent financial questions we covered in
Section 3
 If the student is single, ignore references to
“spouse”
 If the student is married, report spouse’s
income and assets
 Skip the student’s adjusted gross income
question if the student is not required to
file taxes
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Submitting the FAFSA
 Student and parent sign the online
application by providing PIN or mailing a
signature page
 Confirmation will be received after
submitting application
Print the confirmation page for your records
You may also email the confirmation
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Special Circumstances
Contact the Financial Aid Office if there are
circumstances which affect a family’s ability to
pay for college such as:
 Loss or reduction in parent or student income or assets
 Death or serious illness
 Natural disasters affecting parent income or assets
 Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by
insurance
 Financial responsibility for elderly grandparents
Or any other unusual circumstances that affect a
family’s ability to contribute to higher education
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What Happens Next?
FAFSA information is sent to colleges listed on the application and
Students receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from federal
processor

Students and families review SAR for important information and
accuracy of data

Colleges match admission records with financial aid applications
and determine aid eligibility

Colleges send notices of financial aid eligibility to admitted
students who have completed all required financial aid forms
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Student Aid Report (SAR)
 After the student completes the FAFSA on the Web, a
SAR will be sent to the student
 An electronic SAR Acknowledgment will be sent if
student provides an email address
 A paper SAR will be mailed if no student e-mail address
is provided
 An electronic copy of the data will be sent to each
college or university listed by the student in Section 1
 Keep a copy of the SAR with other financial aid
documents
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Questions?
Please remember to complete the FAFSA Day Survey before you leave!
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THANK YOU
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