FAFSA

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) – OPEN NOW (10/1)

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Hello Students and Families,

Its that time of year again! Fill out the FAFSA and submit it as soon as possible. FAFSA applications opened up OCTOBER 1st. There are early bird scholarships only available to those who submit early! Online applications must be submitted by no later than midnight Central Time, June 30, 2020. Look below for more Oregon Aid deadlines and information.

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What is FAFSA?

FAFSA provides grants, loans, and work-study funds to students attending college or career school. Why fill out the FAFSA?

  • informing students and families about the availability of the federal student aid programs (GRANTS, LOANS, WORK-STUDY and more!) and the process for applying for and receiving aid from those programs;
  • offering free assistance to students, parents, and borrowers throughout the entire financial aid process; and

What are the types of aid you can receive?

  • Grants—financial aid that doesn’t have to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund)
  • Loans— borrowed money for college or career school; you must repay your loans, with interest
  • Work-Study—a work program through the university/college you attend, which helps you earn money to help you pay for school
  • Educational and Training Vouchers for Current and Former Foster Care Youth  (EVT)-  ETVs are grants, funded by the federal government and administered by the states, awarded to eligible current and former foster youth to help pay for college, career school, or training.

Who is eligible?

Every high school senior and anyone who is interested in attending post high school eduation is eligible to (and should) apply!

  • be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
  • have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
  • be registered with Selective Service, if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25);
  • be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
  • be enrolled at least half-time to be eligible for Direct Loan Program funds;
  • maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
  • sign the certification statement on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) stating that
    • you are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and
    • you will use federal student aid only for educational purposes; and
  • show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education by
    • having a high school diploma or a recognized equivalent such as aGeneral Educational Development (GED) certificate;
    • completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law (or—if state law does not require a homeschooled student to obtain a completion credential—completing a high school education in a homeschool setting that qualifies as an exemption from compulsory attendance requirements under state law); or
    • enrolling in an eligible career pathway program and meeting one of the“ability-to-benefit” alternatives described below.

What are the Deadlines?

Federal Deadline

Online applications must be submitted by midnight Central Time, June 30, 2020.
Any corrections or updates must be submitted by midnight Central Time, September 14, 2020.

State Deadlines

  • Oregon – OSAC Private Scholarships – March 1, 2020. Additional forms may be required.
  • Oregon Promise Grant – Fall term, June 1, 2020 by 5pm (PST); other terms, contact state agency. Additional forms may be required. Awards made until funds are depleted.
  • Oregon Opportunity Grant – Apply as soon as possible after October 1, 2019. Awards made until funds are depleted.
  • College Deadline – Check with the college(s) you are interested in attending. You may also want to ask your college about its definition of an application deadline because they vary from school to school – whether it is the date the college receives your FAFSA, or the date your FAFSA is processed.

What are the steps to filling out FAFSA?

Filling out the FAFSA® can be a straightforward and easy process. The online FAFSA at fafsa.gov will guide you through the application. These are  the steps you will have to take to get the FAFSA filled out.

  1. Creating an FSA ID
  2. Gathering the Documents Needed to Apply
  3. Getting Help
  4. Starting Your FAFSA® and Providing Your Basic Personal Information
  5. Listing Colleges and/or Career Schools
  6. Determining Your Dependency Status
  7. Reporting Parents’ Information
  8. Automatically Filling in Your Tax Information Using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
  9. Determining When Tax Information Will Be Available Via the IRS DRT
  10. Providing Financial Information
  11. Signing and Submitting the FAFSA®
  12. Taking the Next Steps

IMPORTANT NOTE: please just make sure that the website  looks like this and is under the (.gov) website. There are many replicas of this website that often look like they might be  the actual website and are not. Make sure you are not putting your private information on other websites.  You can always make sure by the (.gov)

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