Federal student aid application deadline is Thursday

Tammy Talley, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·1 min read

Apr. 15—The U.S. Department of Education office of Federal Student Aid issued a reminder to Indiana high school seniors, current college students, and their parents about submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as FAFSA.

Deadline is April 15, and submitting the FAFSA form is crucial because it is used to determine a student's eligibility for federal grants, work-study funds, and loans for college or career school, a department representative said in a press release.

Also, some states, colleges and private scholarship organizations use FAFSA information to determine their financial aid, which may be awarded on a first come, first served basis.

The Department recognizes the COVID-19 emergency has created uncertainty for many students and their families.

When compared to the same time last year, an 8% national decline in FAFSA submissions have been made by high school seniors. In Indiana, that statistic is more than 7%, which means thousands of Indiana students may miss out on more than $115 billion available each year in federal aid to continue their education beyond high school.

The FAFSA form can be submitted on fafsa.gov or through the myStudentAid mobile app.

There are several ways for students and parents to get help filling out the form, including:

—access enhanced help topics on the FAFSA form

—visit StudentAid.gov/resources

—use virtual assistant, Aidan

—tweet @FAFSA

—speak with a customer service representative at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243; TTY for the deaf or hard of hearing 1-800-730-8913).

Current data about FAFSA completion is available on the Federal Student Aid Data Center, which is the centralized source for information about federal financial assistance programs.