Students need to file FAFSA by March 1 for aid

The deadline for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is approaching.

The FAFSA should be completed by March 1 if students want to be eligible for most financial aid programs, said Roy Durnal, senior associate director of IU’s Office of Student Financial Assistance, said.

The FAFSA must be completed to determine a student’s eligibility for federal-, state- and some university-based financial aid programs, including all need-based scholarships, grants and loans.

“Keep in mind that the FAFSA must be completed each academic year in which the student wants to be considered for financial aid,” Durnal said in an e-mail.

Students who are legally dependent on their families are required to submit the FAFSA with their parents’ or guardians’ information.

Income taxes do not have to be completed before submitting the FAFSA. Students and families can estimate the financial questions on the form and submit it by the priority date, Durnal said. When they receive the Student Aid Report from the application processor, they can correct any errors that were made.

Students can submit the FAFSA online through www.fafsa.ed.gov. Applying for a PIN online “is the fastest way to have your FAFSA processed because it allows you to sign your application electronically,” according to FAFSA’s Web site.

“One of the most common errors is the failure to sign the FAFSA,” Durnal said in an e-mail. “The FAFSA requires a student signature and a parent signature if the student is considered a dependent student.”