The first step every incoming and returning college student must take to secure federal financial aid is to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
New this year, students across the country can begin the FAFSA process three months earlier than in years past, thanks to a change made by the Department of Education.
The FAFSA will be available Oct. 1; before the change, the date each year was Jan. 1. The earlier submission date is a permanent adjustment that allows students to use previous income and tax information on their application.
Those wanting to enroll in the 2017 fall semester can now apply for financial aid starting in October of this year using the student鈥檚 or parent鈥檚 2015 tax information.
Prior to this change, students filling out the application may have had to estimate their tax information to meet priority dates or delay filing the FAFSA until after tax returns were filed in April. By using earlier tax information, students can also use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which allows people to transfer the income data directly into their FAFSA from the IRS Web site.
鈥淪ince students can now file in October, there is no reason for not completing the FAFSA early,鈥� says Sheelu Surender, director of the Office of Financial Aid. 鈥淭he process is easier, and students may receive results faster.鈥�
Students of all ages, income levels can apply
Students who file early typically have access to financial aid with limited funding. Wichita State encourages students to file the FAFSA by their priority date of Dec. 1 to receive consideration for additional aid. This will allow students to know their aid offers sooner so that they have a longer period of time to evaluate college offers and plan for educational expenses.
Surender points out that this change is for all students, not just those applying to Wichita State. And you don鈥檛 have to be fresh out of high school or low income to apply.
Students of any age 鈥� including transfer students, returning adults, military / veterans 鈥� and income level are eligible for federal funds.