FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is the main form used to determine eligibility for federal aid, including Pell Grants and student loans. The majority of parents will fill out the FAFSA application online. It is the first step to getting financial assistance for college. Many student financial aid programs are on a first come, first served basis. The FAFSA is the critical connection between you and your student’s future financial aid package.

The key is to complete the entire FAFSA financial aid application and file it no later than the specific deadlines set by colleges and states. If you are unsure about an answer, wait to submit the form; if the answer is zero, put a “0″ on the line. File your taxes as early as possible because it is helpful to have that information available. Otherwise, you can estimate the amounts from previous years and correct the amounts on the form later at the corrections page on the FAFSA website.

FAFSA deadlines include federal, state, and college deadlines. Any outside scholarships you apply for may also have a FAFSA requirement and deadline. FAFSA deadlines vary from state to state and from school to school. Some deadlines are as early as mid-January, while others are later.

Parents can even “talk” live online with a customer service representative if they have questions. You can also get additional assistance by calling (800) 4-FED-AID or going to the FAFSA website at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Applications are accepted beginning in January for the fall semester.

Parents need to avoid making mistakes on the FAFSA form because this will only delay the application from being processed. Some common mistakes that parents make include the following:

1. Not listing all of the colleges to which your student is applying
2. Writing in incorrect tax amounts
3. Not updating your information once your taxes are filed
4. Leaving a question blank
5. Not signing the FAFSA form

Most colleges and universities start sending out admission acceptance letters between January and April. Financial-aid award notices come close behind. Expect a financial-aid award letter to arrive within two to three weeks after an acceptance letter. If you have not heard from a school, it is appropriate to contact the financial aid office and inquire about your financial aid package
and when you can plan on receiving it.

You cannot expect financial aid if you never apply. Many parents are overwhelmed just thinking about college and wondering how they will afford it. For other families, our tough economy has changed the financial situation and security they once had. There is still time for parents to go to the FAFSA website and apply. Give your student the opportunity to receive the financial aid you need to make attending college affordable. Who get financial aid? Only parents who apply for it.

Susie Watts is an educational consultant in Denver, Colorado. She is the founder of College Direction and has been working with students for more than twenty years. She assists with the college search, essays and applications, help with paying for college, and college planning to help students become stronger college applicants. To find out how College Direction can help your student, go to http://www.collegedirection.org.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susie_Watts

In fact, many nursing institutes have fairly long waiting lists of aspiring students. Given the situation above, many hospitals in United States have come forward to offer financial aid of different types so that more and more students feel encouraged to enroll for nursing programs.

Even educational institutes are not lagging behind to extend financial aid to meet the crisis of shortage that is currently plaguing the healthcare sector. Despite comparatively easy availability of financial aid for nursing courses, it is always advisable to explore different avenues before deciding to opt for the most ideal one.

Funding nursing education is not a one-step process irrespective of whether you want to study a bachelor program or an advanced degree. Selecting the right financial aid calls for diligence and ability to piece together disparate information from several sources in order to find out the best deal. As you will see, while some financial aids cover part of your educational costs, there are others that cover entire educational costs albeit with strings attached.

While at it, it is important to bear in mind that financial aids are not always reserved for the most needy and/or those with fairly high grades. Often there is a pie to meet your individual need, and the same holds true for others. The nursing shortage has opened a lot of creative ways to avail financial aid to fund your education as well as new paths to complete your education in an orderly manner.

Okay, you want to start now! But wait. Remember when you search for financial aid, you may be waylaid by lucrative propositions. Not all of them are real. In fact, there are any number of frauds and scams in the financial aid business.

The Federal Trade Commission has lined up a list of tips for students to assist you in this regard. Ensure that you read these tips carefully and refer to them often. Apply for FAFSA Even as you approach the financial aid office of your chosen institution, it will be a good idea to first fill out your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid).

You may either access FAFSA online or get a copy from your institute’s financial aid office. FAFSA application needs to be completed each year within stipulated deadlines. After submitting FAFSA application, you may be able to check its status online and make corrections as necessary.

Visit ANA Web Site Your quest for the ideal financial aid to fund your study should next include a visit to the American Nurses Association (ANA) web site. Once here, you will be exposed to a treasure of rich information to which you gain access to know about financial aid offered by ANA.

Proceed to the State Boards of Nursing and begin exploring if there are additional offers from your home state as well as the state where your institute is located, if different from home state.

Do not forget to obtain contact information and respective web site addresses for professional nursing organizations from the ANA site. For example, if you want to enroll for emergency nursing, you should access the Emergency Nurses Association web site to find if financial aids are available.

Doesn’t Your Institute Offer Financial Aid? Do not fail to find out if your college or university has financial aid available to nursing students. It may as well be that your institute’s financial aid serves your need better than others. Obtain this information from your college’s financial aid office, or the nursing department.

NHSC Program An alternative to traditional financial aid is the popular program for family nurse practitioners and nurse-midwives offered by the National Health Service Corps (NHSC).

This government program encourages graduates to work in under-served areas of the country. In exchange for financial aid like tuition, fees, and maintenance allowance, one year of employment is required for each year of funding.

Linda Raye is an accomplished writer and editor of NursingChoice.com website. Her main interest lies in the healthcare field with one of her passions being nursing. Contact her at: LRaye@cinci.rr.com Visit the website: [http://www.nursingchoice.com]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_Raye

January Beginning on January 1, file your FAFSA online. By filing online, your FAFSA will be processed much faster than paper FAFSA applications. Many scholarships also begin accepting applications in January, so start surfing!

February Be on the lookout for a “Student Aid Report” (SAR). This report is a confirmation of the data you submitted on the FAFSA. If you need to make changes, follow the instructions or contact the school’s financial aid office. You can also call 1-800-4-FED-AID for assistance.

Check the schools listed on the “School Section” of the SAR to ensure the correct schools were recorded on your application. You can always submit it to additional schools at a later date.

March Many schools begin distributing awards in March. You should receive a package of information from the school’s financial aid office that details the financial aid programs and dollar amounts of your financial aid award.

Follow the instructions and be sure to meet any deadlines for accepting your financial aid award.

Remember, financial aid rarely meets all the costs of tuition and fees; to make up any gaps between federal and institutional financial aid, you may need a private student loan.

April Remember to file your IRS 1040. Even though it’s not strictly financial aid-related, any tax penalties or taxes owed can wreak havoc on financial aid the following year, so be sure to stay on the good side of the IRS by filing a tax return.

May Students who are graduating should immediately file for student loan consolidation. Students still enrolled in school for another year or more should continue searching for aid, scholarships, and grants throughout the summertime.

For students who are studying abroad, May is the right time to acquire a study abroad loan. Those studying during summer semesters will need to have financial aid in order for Summer Semester I.

June Jobs and travel often occupy the calendars of students during the summer. Remember that any income you make as a student can potentially impact your financial aid for the following year, so it may be worthwhile investigating internships or volunteer work to build experience.

July For students taking summer courses, July is usually the beginning of Summer Semester II; be sure you have your financial aid in order.

August First time Stafford Federal Student Loan borrowers often have to fulfill an Entrance Counseling session – and many schools provide these sessions over the Internet. Check with your school.

Double check on any outside financial aid or scholarships you may be receiving.

Make sure any loans you’re applying for are in progress and moving towards disbursement to your school. Keep in touch with your financial aid office to verify that your award package is in place.

September School is beginning – make sure that all your loans are in process or disbursed, as the bills won’t be far behind. If you find yourself confronted with a spate of unexpected expenses or shortfalls in aid, apply for an alternative student loan, since you can usually obtain alternative student loans in a much shorter period of time than federal student loans.

October/November Students who have graduated and not consolidated their student loans will be approaching the end of their grace periods. Remember, the repayment rate for Stafford Loans is 0.6% higher than the grace period rate, so consolidating your loans can save you more than half a percent on your interest rate.

December Gather up your tax receipts, pay stubs, etc. and fill out an estimated IRS 1040 so that you can file your FAFSA as soon as the doors open on January 1!

Christopher S. Penn is the producer and creator of the Financial Aid Podcast, a daily free Internet radio show about making college affordable, as well as Chief Technology Officer of the Student Loan Network This organization offers federal student loans and student loan consolidation for college students, both undergraduate and graduate. His work has been featured in several books, newspapers, and conferences.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Christopher_Penn