FAFSA Time!

It's that magical time of the year again for those of us entering a new year of college. Oddly enough this not only includes myself but also my niece this year. I can honestly say I never thought I'd be in college the same time as my niece. That makes me feel a bit old. But I digress...

For those of you that may not know, FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the necessary government paperwork that every student must fill out if they hope to get grants, student loans, and scholarships (in most cases). Grants such as the Pell grant are given out on a needs basis and is also first come first serve. That means the sooner you fill out the FAFSA the more likely you are to get aid.

Since I already know that I'm not going to qualify for need-based aid there isn't too big of a rush on my part, but I will still complete it as soon as possible, after my taxes are done this year. That way my scholarships can be renewed without delay for next semester.

By the way, you did read that right. I have two scholarships this semester. It turns out the surprise scholarship from last semester has carried over and will be a help this semester as well. It was perfect timing as my company is now pushing back on educational reimbursement and has declined paying their half of my tuition this semester.

To make things a little easier on you, you can fill out the FAFSA by clicking on this link:

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

Just a warning, as all things in government seem to be, this is a long and arduous process. Good Luck!!