1. Welcome to Financial Aid 2020-2021
Presenter: Stan Werne
Vincennes University
Director of Financial Aid
and Member of
Indiana Student Financial Aid Association

2. FINANCIAL AID What to look for & how to apply
Federal & State Aid
College/university aid
Private or local scholarships
Web site searches

3. Your key to federal & state financial aid: FAFSA
Free Application for Federal Student Aid

4. Why Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is key:
12/14/2019
Why Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is key:
Student & parent information is used to calculate the expected family contribution (EFC).
Why needed?

5. Financial Aid Need Calculation
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Financial Aid Need Calculation
U.S. Department of Education
Definition of Financial Aid Need
Cost of Attendance (COA)
Varies from school to school
Minus
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Same for all schools--results of your FAFSA
Scholarships & other resources
Equals
Financial Aid Need

6. Part of Financial Need Calculation
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Part of Financial Need Calculation
Cost of Attendance (VU/VUJC )
Direct costs = what appears on the bill
Tuition & fees ($6074 – 30 credits/year)
On-campus Room & board ($10,590)
Program expenses (vary by major)
*********************************
Indirect costs = other expenses
(At-home “room & board” ($2534))
Books & supplies ($1298)
Transportation ($1946)
Miscellaneous ($1104)
Loan fees ($64)
Total: $21,076/$13,020

7. Sample Aid Package #1 Suppose student lives on campus: EFC - 0 - 0
Full COA $21,076 Direct cost = $16,664
EFC
$21,076 $16,664
Pell grant , ,195
$14,881 $10,469
O’Bannon grant - 4, ,500 $10,381 $ 5,969
Subsidized loan - 3, ,500
$ 6,881 $ 2,469
Unsubsidized , ,000
$ 4,881 $

8. Sample Aid Package #2 Full COA $21,076 Direct cost = $16,664
Suppose EFC = 7,000
Full COA $21,076 Direct cost = $16,664
Subsidized loan - 3, ,500 $17,576 $13,154
Unsubsidized - 2, ,000
$15,576 $11,154
Many schools offer federal parent PLUS loans.
Interest rate = 7.08%; processing fee = 4.236%
(Denial of PLUS app = up to $4000 in unsubsidized student loan)
Consider co-signing a student non-federal alternative loan.
Shop at INvestED Marketplace or FASTChoice.
Most non-federal lenders do not have processing fee.

9. FSA ID (username & password) https://fsaid.ed.gov
Student and a parent each need an FSA ID
to electronically sign the FAFSA.
Directions on “How do I get an FSA ID”

10. https://fafsa.ed.gov Use 2018 tax & income info.
FAFSA on the Web became available Oct. 1, 2019.
Use 2018 tax & income info.
State Grant deadline: April 15, 2020
still available until June 30, 2020 for current academic year.
Use 2017 tax & income info.

12. Students log in with FSA ID username and password.
Be sure to start the correct year’s FAFSA:

13. Parents log in with the student’s name, SSN, and DOB.
REMEMBER: All questions are from the point of view of the student.

14. Remember: “you”/”your” = student
FAFSA
Step 1: Student information and plans:
SSN, DOB, marital status, (for federal & state notifications), Selective Service, school level ?
Remember: “you”/”your” = student
Step 2: School choices:
Up to 10 schools (codes online).
Housing plans: on/off campus or with parents?

15. FAFSA Step 3: Student must submit parent data if answers = “No.”
Born before Jan. 1, 1997?
Grad student, active duty military, or veteran?
Provide more than half support for child or other dependent?
Since age 13, in foster care, ward of court, or parents deceased?
Emancipated minor or in legal guardianship (before turning 18)?
Homeless or unaccompanied youth?

16. FAFSA Step 4: Parental information:
SSN, DOB, marital status, residency, # in household, # in college?
Marital status question about legal parents (biological or adoptive) regardless of gender:
Never married & not living together = 1
Unmarried & both parents living together = both
Married = both
Remarried = parent & stepparent = both
Divorced or separated (custodial parent or parent student lived with most past 12 mos.) = 1
Widowed = 1

17. FAFSA Step 5: Financial information
Parents: income & federal tax info.
Use the IRS Data Retrieval process if you can.
Current checking & saving accts; investments?
NOT retirement accounts, home you live in, farm you work, or business with 100 or fewer full-time employees.
Parents: Additional info: Child support paid? Untaxed income? Dislocated worker? Recipient of federal benefits?

18. FAFSA Step 5: Continued: Student: 2018 federal tax/earnings info.
Use the IRS Data Retrieval process if you can.
Current checking, savings, investments? Untaxed income?

19. Cannot use IRS DRT Jamie– 2020 High School Senior
Filing FAFSA on Nov. 3, Use 2018 tax data, but parents (still married 2018) filed jointly.
Parents divorced in July 2019; Jamie has lived with mom since then.
Mom’s FAFSA marital status is “divorced,” so it’s different from her 2018 tax filing status.
Jamie will file the FAFSA using only mom’s portion of the 2018 tax/income & mom’s current assets since she lived with her more since the divorce (or the past 12 months).

20. Cannot use IRS DRT Jennifer—2020 High School Senior
Filing FAFSA on Nov. 3, Use 2018 tax data, when Jennifer’s mom filed HOH.
But Jennifer’s mom remarried in May 2019.
Jennifer will list mom & stepdad as “married/remarried” on the FAFSA.
Combine mom’s 2018 tax info & income with stepdad’s 2018 tax info & income.
Assets: both parents’ combined current value as of the date the FAFSA is filed.

21. FAFSA Step 6: E-sign with FSA IDs and submit:
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FAFSA
Step 6: E-sign with FSA IDs and submit:
Both student & parent e-sign.
Be sure to click SUBMIT button, then print confirmation page.
If submitting corrections, be sure both e-sign and submit. Print confirmation page.

22. FAFSA filed. Then what? One of three results: EFC without verification
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FAFSA filed. Then what?
One of three results:
EFC without verification
OR FAFSA reject/no EFC: major error
OR FAFSA processing center identifies student for verification.
Return to FAFSA to use IRS data retrieval or request IRS tax return transcript to verify income and tax information.
Submit other documentation as required by school.

23. But my tax return is misleading because…. What can I do?
Ask at school to request consideration of special circumstances.
Submit verification and other supporting documentation as requested.
Financial aid officers can make professional judgments.
Maybe grant or subsidized loan eligibility can result.

24. Special Circumstances
Jimmy – 2020 High School Senior
Filed FAFSA Nov. 3, 2019 using 2018 tax data.
They use IRS data retrieval because mom’s FAFSA marital status (widow) is the same as her 2018 tax filing status (HOH).
In March 2019 mom lost her job; found new one in August 2019, but making $15K less.
Jimmy should talk with financial aid offices.
Will ask for documentation about mom’s 2019 income or project her 2020 income.

25. Need not be academic, artistic, athletic star for scholarships.
Other Sources of Aid
College/university scholarships =
Ask at admissions or financial aid offices. (VU priority deadline is Jan. 17, 2020.)
Private/local scholarships =
Employers’ programs
Community foundation
Web searches =
Professional & retail organizations
Web sites like fastweb.com.
Need not be academic, artistic, athletic star for scholarships.

26. 12/14/2019
Help is available
Don’t pay a fee to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or search for scholarships.
Contact any financial aid office for questions.
College Goal Sunday:
Nov. 3, 2019 & Feb. 23, 2020
VU or VUJC, 2:00-4:00.

27. Good Luck!