Wednesday, March 2, 2011

FAFSA…. It’s not too late!

By now you’ve all at least heard of the acronym so commonly associated with going to college and perhaps you have even taken the time to submit your FAFSA or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Though the priority date was yesterday March 1st, do not fret friends because it’s certainly not too late to go online and submit your FAFSA application!
FAFSA, the federal government’s program for student aid, is a great way to help pay for college.
How it works – the government bases not only your income, but also the income of your parents or your legal guardian; as well as your household size, and compares that to what it takes to pay for college and through a moderately complex formula, they determine how much a student and a student’s family can contribute to the cost of college. The amount remaining is essentially the amount the federal government is willing to lend you in the form of a loan, and/or give to you in the form of a grant in order for you to successfully complete your higher education and obtain a degree.


Now the money you are given through FAFSA does not only come in the form of loans, but there are also scholarships and grants that students are eligible to earn. This money is FREE money and will never have to be paid back! That’s great, right? Not to mention, the loans that students receive through the FAFSA program have very low interest rates; therefore the payments you will make after college are much easier to handle.


Before you sit down with your parents to begin the application process on the FAFSA web site www.fafsa.gov, make sure you have all of your 2010 tax information. This is the key to successfully filling out your FAFSA application and making this as easy as possible! Simply log on to the web site and follow the simple application process. Don’t forget to include Black Hills State University’s code – 003459 on your application. This will ensure that your information is sent directly to us!

Remember, even if you think you won’t be eligible for any aid it’s ridiculous not to try and the application is free! There are tons of different scholarships and grants out there for interested students so it’s definitely worth checking it out!

Anne Dickman
BHSU Admissions Counselor
Anne.Dickman@bhsu.edu

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