Today’s the Day! Your student can fill out the 2018-19 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) starting today, October 1st. In 2016, the FAFSA opened on October 1st instead of January 1st as in years pass. With this came important changes that affect Missouri college students across the board.
• Students can now submit a FAFSA earlier. Students will be able to file a 2018–19 FAFSA as early as October 1, 2017, rather than Jan. 1, 2018. The earlier application start date is a permanent change, enabling students to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as October 1 every year.
• Students will use income information already available. When filling out the 2018–19 FAFSA, students (and parents, as appropriate) will report their 2016 income information, rather than their 2017 income information. This information should also be readily available by October 1, and use of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing the FAFSA, which is highly recommended, now even easier. Please note that if using the IRS Data Retrieval, the information will transfer successfully, but will be redacted. This step was enacted by Department of Education as an information security measure. You will not be able to see the information that is transferred but we don’t anticipate any issues with this.
Please remember that you do NOT have to pay to fill out the FAFSA. It is a free service! Make sure you use this link, https://fafsa.ed.gov/, to fill out the FAFSA.
Returning students will not have a final award offer until after the Spring semester. However, by submitting their FAFSA earlier they will be able to anticipate their award offer much sooner and have more time to resolve any possible conflicts. The Office of Student Financial Aid, who oversees FAFSA processing at Missouri State University, expects a positive impact on their ability to process applications prior to the start of the new school year, and as the University continues their push to attract the finest students in Missouri its many offices will also feel the benefits of these changes.
Changes to the Federal application will also mean changes at the local level. The priority deadline for state-funded programs such as the Access Missouri grant is now February 1st, 2018, and MSU’s deadline for limited-availability funding has been moved up to match. The deadline for the General and Departmental Scholarship Application will remain at March 1st. Whether a student wishes to apply for state or federal assistance, it’s important to file early!
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Financial Aid if they have concerns. The office can be reached at (417) 836-5262, by email (FinancialAid@MissouriState.edu), or in person in Carrington Hall, Rm. 101.
How to Create Your FAFSA ID: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7ihhGk8mCY&index=10&list=PL23B9A23CD8DD82DD
What to Do If I Forgot My FAFSA ID Username: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZkF4ZoZwzc&index=8&list=PL23B9A23CD8DD82DD
What to Do if I Forgot My FAFSA ID Password: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvhBQH266lo&list=PL23B9A23CD8DD82DD&index=9
7 Things You Need Before You Fill Out the 2018-19 FAFSA Form: https://blog.ed.gov/2017/09/7-things-need-fill-2018-19-fafsa-form/
Parent’s Guide to Filling Out the FAFSA form: https://blog.ed.gov/2017/09/the-parents-guide-to-filling-out-the-fafsa-form/?sf63818120=1