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Since when
did filling in form bubbles become so hard?
Trouble in Financial Aid Form-Land?
By Feona Sharhran Huff
Dececmber 2000
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick -- If you're
like most students, you would probably choose
hanging at the mall over filling out the Free
Application for Federal Student Aid. Unfortunately,
if you want money to pay for school, you have
to fill out the form Õ and fill it out correctly,
at that. Making errors can delay the processing
of financial aid and cause you weeks of anxiety.
If you don't want to be among the weary, watch
out for these five common FAFSA mistakes.
* Your mom fills
in her social security number: Major
blooper, says Dr. Herm Davis, co-author of College
Financial Aid for Dummies (IDG Books, 1999)
and financial aid advisor for the National College
Scholarship Fund, Rockville, MD. "While a parent
can have good intentions of helping her child
by filling out the FAFSA form, the wrong number
will halt the child from knowing how much money
she can get for school," he warns. "The joke's
on the student when the application reviewer looks
at the age listed and classifies the student as
independent." Translation? She may be awarded
less money.
* You think a
diploma is the same as a degree: Wrong! A
diploma refers to the certificate you receive
after completing high school. Davis says that
the question asks if you will have your first
bachelor's degree by July 1 before entering college
in September. If you answer yes, says Davis, you
are actually saying that you are finished with
undergraduate study. "You will be ineligible for
federal grants because they are only for undergraduate
students," he warns.
* You write in
your income instead of your parents' income:
Ron Shunk, director of financial aid at Gettysburg
College, Gettysburg, PA, says students get confused
with the term "your" when asked: What is your
income? "The word refers to the income of your
parents," he clarifies. If you're under 24 years
old, single, and don't have children, the Department
of Education uses the income of your parents to
determine how much money you will get for school,
he says. If you do report your income in thewrong
area, he warns, you risk the chance of getting
less aid to cover college costs.
* Your parents
aren't together, but you
still include both incomes: "You normally
get more aid if your parent is single, separated,
or divorced," says Davis. If this is the case,
only document the income for the parent that you
live with. There is a question that asks you to
enter the amount of child support received. However,
if you report the income of both parents, when
it's not necessary, your Expected Family Contribution
will be greater. EFC, Davis explains, is the amount
of money you and your parents are expected to
contribute toward your college education.
* You say you're
the only one attending college: Even though
you hardly see her, did you forget that your sister
attends Northwestern University? It's important
that she is counted on your financial aid application,
too. The more siblings you have in college, says
Davis, the more you'll be eligible for aid. This
is because the government assumes that your parents
will have to divide up money to pay for each of
you.
For your sake, make
a conscious effort to sit down and fill out your
financial aid form correctly. If you don't, you'll
be cashing in on headaches instead of help in
the form of cold hard college cash.
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