1. 1 Applying for Financial Aid 2012-2013

2. 2 What Will You Learn Today? Required financial aid application forms How to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Answers to your individual question

3. 3 Federal government State government Colleges and universities Private agencies, companies, foundations, and your parents’ employers Sources of Financial Aid

4. 4 FAFSA Information & Tips File as soon as possible Use estimated 2011 income information if taxes are not complete at time of FAFSA submission Student and at least one parent whose information is required must complete and sign the FAFSA

5. 5 Federal PIN PIN (Personal Identification Number) serves as the electronic signature on ED documents Both student and at least one parent need PIN to sign the FAFSA electronically May be used to: Check on FAFSA status Verify and correct FAFSA data Add additional schools to receive FAFSA data Change home and e-mail addresses If an e-mail address is provided, PIN will be e-mailed to the PIN applicant within hours Apply for student and parent PINs TODAY at: www.pin.ed.gov

6. 6 Getting Ready Before starting the FAFSA, gather: Student driver’s license Student Alien Registration Card Student and Parent Social Security cards 2011 W-2 Forms and other records of money earned 2011 federal income tax form (even if not completed) Records of untaxed income Current bank statements Business and other real estate records Records of stocks, bonds, and other investments Create a file for copies of all financial aid documents submitted

7. 7 Getting Started Read all application instructions If planning to submit the paper FAFSA: Use pen with black ink Print clearly in CAPITAL letters Fill in ovals completely Do not leave blanks (unless directed by instructions) Do not write comments or notes anywhere on form Do not use correction fluid

8. 8 FAFSA on the Web The 2012-2013 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet may be used for the January 1, 2012 through June 30 th, 2013 federal aid application cycle

9. 9 The FOTW Worksheet A Five Section Form Section 1–is about the student Section 2–determines student dependency status Section 3–collects parental information for dependent students Section 4–collects student finances and information about the independent student Section 5–allows students to list up to ten schools to receive information from the FAFSA

10. 10 Section 1 STUDENT INFORMATION

11. 11 Section 1 Your Last Name The FOTW will ask for the student’s first and last name as well as a middle initial Make sure to report the student’s name exactly as it appears on the student’s Social Security card Jones

12. 12 Section 1 Your Social Security Number Double check your Social Security Number when entering it on the FOTW. Both your name and Social Security Number will be compared through a database match 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

13. 13 If U.S. citizen, status will be confirmed by Social Security match If eligible noncitizen, status will be confirmed by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) match. This includes: U.S. permanent residents with I-551 Conditional permanent residents with I-551C Eligible noncitizens with I-94 If neither a citizen nor eligible noncitizen, you are ineligible for federal/state aid, but might still be eligible for institutional funds Section 1 Citizenship Status

14. 14 Section 1 Alien Registration Number 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 If eligible noncitizen, write in your eight- or nine-digit Alien Registration Number (ARN) Precede an eight digit ARN with a zero Copy of Permanent Registration Card might be requested by the financial aid office

15. 15 Section 1 Citizenship Status if you are applying to any public college or university, check to see if you might be eligible for in-state tuition costs check with colleges and universities to see if institutional financial aid is available apply for all private scholarships for which you may be eligible watch for changes in federal and state laws regarding the eligibility of undocumented or under-documented students start inquiring in elementary, middle or high school to see if it is possible for younger students to become permanent residents NOTE: if you are undocumented or under-documented

16. 16 Section 1 Your State of Legal Residence Residency relates to your permanent home state if you are dependent, the state of legal residence is usually the state in which your custodial parents live State of legal residence is also used to determine eligibility for state grants in the need calculation to determine the appropriate allowance for state and other taxes paid by that state’s residents MA

17. 17 Section 1 Selective Service Registration Male students who are 18 years of age or older must be registered with Selective Service to receive federal and state aid Answer “Register me” only if you are male, aged 18-25, and have not yet registered. You may also register by going to : www.sss.gov

18. 18 Answer “No” if you have never received federal student grants, federal student loans or federal work-study You should also answer “No” if you have never attended college. If you answer “No” to this question, skip question 23 Section 1 Federal Student Aid Question

19. 19 Answer “YES” if you have been convicted of selling illegal drugs while you were receiving federal student financial aid Answer “NO” if: You have no drug-related convictions of any kind but simply received student financial aid while a college student Conviction was for alcohol or tobacco Conviction was removed from your record or occurred before age 18 (unless tried as an adult) Section 1 Drug Conviction Question

20. 20 Section 1 Parents’ Educational Level Indicate highest level of schooling completed by your biological or adoptive parents (for state award purposes only) Use birth parents or adoptive parents - not stepparents or foster parents This definition of parents is unique to these two questions

21. 21 Indicate your most immediate degree or certificate objective for 2012-2013. Typically “1 st Bachelor’s Degree” Section 1 Degree Objective

22. 22 Section 1 Your Expected Enrollment Status at the Start of the 2012-2013 Academic Year Report your enrollment plans for the college you are most likely to attend If unsure, report “Full-time”

23. 23 Section 1 Work-Study and Student Loans If you are interested in either work-study (student employment) or student loans, or both, mark the appropriate box Indicating interest does not obligate you to either work or borrow, nor will it cause you to lose grants and scholarships Answering “neither” may restrict some options for limited work-study or loan funds

24. 24 Section 2 STUDENT DEPENDENCY STATUS

25. 25 Section 2 Determination of Student Dependency Status

26. 26 Section 2 Determination of Student Dependency Status

27. 27 Section 2 Determination of Student Dependency Status If you answer “no” to all questions in this section, go to Section 3. For FAFSA filing purposes, you are considered a dependent student and are required to provide parental information If you answer “yes” to any question in this section, skip Section 3 and go to Section 4. You are considered an independent student for FAFSA filing purposes and are NOT required to provide parental information

28. 28 Section 3 PARENTAL INFORMATION

29. 29 Section 3 Parental Information See Page 4 of FAFSA on the Web Worksheet about who is considered a parent Biological or adoptive parent(s) Stepparent (regardless of any prenuptial agreements)

30. 30 Section 3 Parental Information Do not provide information on: Foster parents or legal guardians If the student is in foster care or has a legal guardian, he/she is automatically considered an independent student Grandparents or other relatives The student must attempt to get biological parental information Colleges may use Professional Judgment to allow the student to file as independent

31. 31 Section 3 Parental Information, $ 0 If the answer to any question is zero or the question does not apply, enter 0: Report whole dollar figures: Recommendation: If your parents have not filed their 2011 federal tax return, use W-2 forms and/or other employment records to estimate total income 1 2 $ 3 5 6 (no cents),

32. 32 Section 3 Parents’ Marital Status as of Today Month and Year Your Parents were Married, Separated, Divorced, or Widowed M M Y Y Y Y

33. 33 Section 3 Parent E-Mail Address Fill in your parents’ e-mail address that will be valid at least until you start college If you provide your parents’ email address, the FAFSA processor will let them know your FAFSA has been processed PJONES@YAHOO.COM

34. 34 Section 3 Father’s and Mother’s SSN, Last Name, and Dates of Birth NOTE:Provide this information for your parent(s) who complete Section 3 of the worksheet 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 JONES 0 5 0 3 1 9 5 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 PARKER 0 7 1 9 1 9 6 0

35. 35 Section 3 Parents’ State of Legal Residence Indicate the two-digit state code for your parents’ permanent address Leave question 74 blank if at least one of your parents whose information is used on this form began living in the state before January 1, 2007 MA M M Y Y Y Y

36. 36 Section 3 Parents’ Tax Return Filing Status for 2011 Indicate your parents’ current tax filing status for 2011 Which tax return did or will your parents file for 2011? Even if your parent(s) did not file a 1040A or 1040EZ, read the instructions to see if they would have been eligible to do so The FOTW Web site will ask if your parents have completed their 2011 tax return

37. 37 Section 3 Parents’ Household 2011 Federal Benefits Indicate if you, your parents, or anyone in your parents’ household received benefits in 2010 or 2011 from any of the federal programs listed

38. 38 Section 3 Parent Dislocated Worker A person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she: is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic conditions or natural disaster is a displaced homemaker

39. 39 Section 3 Parent 2011 Adjusted Gross Income Reminder: If the answer is zero or the question does not apply, enter 0 If your parents have not yet filed their 2011 federal tax return information, it is fine to estimate information for these questions If your parents have completed their 2011 federal tax return, use 2011 tax return information to complete this item. Pay attention to specific line-items on 2011 federal tax return, if completed 45,250

40. 40 Section 3 Money Earned from Work by Parent(s) in 2011 Use W-2 forms and other records to list all income in 2011 earned from work (including income earned from self-employment) 45,250 40,500

41. 41 Section 3 Parents’ Income Tax Paid in 2011 What was the amount your parents paid in income tax for 2011? –Use U.S. Income tax paid (or to be paid) not the amount withheld from your parents’ paychecks 2,130

42. 42 Section 3 Parents’ 2011 Tax Exemptions Enter your parents’ exemptions for 2011 Exemptions can be found on their IRS tax return Be sure to include all persons being claimed on your parents’ 2011 federal tax return, regardless of whether they are included in your parents’ household size question 05

43. 43 Section 3 Parents’ Household Information for 2012-13 Include in your parents’ household: yourself your parent(s) your parents’ other dependent children, if your parents provide more than half their support or the children could answer “no” to every question in Section 2, regardless of where they live other people, if they now live with your parents and will continue to do so from 7/1/12 through 6/30/13, and if your parents provide more than half their support now, and will continue to provide support from 7/1/12 through 6/30/13 05

44. 44 Section 3 Family Members Attending College in 2012-13 NOTE: Some financial aid offices will require proof that other family members are attending college Always include yourself even if you will attend college less than half-time in 2012-2013 Include other household members only if they will attend at least half time in 2012-2013 in a program that leads to a college degree or certificate Never include your parents 2

45. 45 Section 3 2011 Additional Financial Information 2,500 12,200 Enter the total from this Additional Financial Information sheet to Question 94 on page 5, Section 3

46. 46 Section 3 2011 Untaxed Income 1,700 6,200 500 Enter the total from this 2011 Untaxed Income sheet to Question 95 on page 5, Section 3

47. 47 Section 3 Parent Asset Information NOTE: Some financial aid offices may request supporting documentation for the answers to these questions List the net value of your parents’ assets as of the day you complete the FAFSA If net worth is one million dollars or more, enter If net worth is zero, enter 0 9 9 $ 9 9 9, 9 $ 0,

48. 48 Section 3 Parent Cash, Savings, and Checking Report the current balance of your parents’ cash, savings, and checking accounts as of the day you complete the FAFSA 2,155

49. 49 Section 3 Parent Investments bonds and other securities Coverdell IRAs 529 plans owned by parents installment and land sale contracts commodities, etc. Net Worth means current value minus debt Investments include: real estate (other than parents’ home) trust funds UGMA and UTMA accounts money market and mutual funds certificates of deposit stocks and stock options 7,900

50. 50 Section 3 Parent Business and Investment Farms NOTE: DO NOT include the home you live in, the value of life insurance and parent retirement plans (pension funds, annuities, non-education IRAs, Keogh plans, etc), or the value of a family owned and controlled small business with 100 or fewer full-time or full-time equivalent employees Business/Investment Farm includes: –market value of land, buildings, machinery, equipment, and inventory. Debt means only those debts for which the business was used as collateral 23,600

51. 51 Section 4 STUDENT FINANCES

52. 52 Section 4 Student Finances Questions (34 – 40) are identical to the parent financial questions we covered in Section 3 In these questions in Section 4: Report your 2011 income If you are single, ignore references to “spouse” If you are married, report spouse’s income and assets

53. 53 Section 4 Student Veterans’ Education Benefits For more information on Veterans’ Education Benefits, contact the VA at: (800) 827-1000 or www.va.gov

54. 54 Section 4 Student Finances (Independent Students) Answer questions (96 – 103) in Section 4 only if you answered “yes” to at least one question in Section 2 – Student Dependency Status

55. 55 Section 4 Student Finances (Independent Students) Include in your household: you (and your spouse if married) your children, if you will provide more than half their support other people, if they now live with you and you provide more than half their support, and will continue to provide that level of support from 7/1/12 through 6/30/13

56. 56 Section 4 Student Finances (Independent Students) Count yourself even if you will attend college less that half-time in 2012- 2013 Include others only if they will attend at least half-time in 2012-2013 in a program that leads to a college degree or certificate

57. 57 Section 4 Household Federal Benefits (Independent Students) Indicate if you, your spouse, or anyone in your household received benefits in 2010 or 2011 from any of the federal programs listed

58. 58 Section 4 Dislocated Worker (Independent Students) A person may be considered a dislocated worker if he or she: is receiving unemployment benefits due to being laid off or losing a job and is unlikely to return to a previous occupation has been laid off or received a lay-off notice from a job was self-employed but is now unemployed due to economic conditions or natural disaster is a displaced homemaker

59. 59 Section 5 COLLEGES TO RECEIVE INFORMATION

60. 60 001170 001328 023456 Section 5 School Information 034567 List the schools you are most likely to attend, and then list others to which you are applying for admission

61. 61 Section 5 School Information List up to ten schools to which you are applying For faster and more accurate processing, write in both the Title IV school code and the school name Check with each college’s financial aid office, your high school counselor, or the U.S. Department of Education’s website (www.fafsa.ed.gov) for a listing of federal school codes of the colleges to which you are applying Select the housing plan that best describes the type of housing you expect to have while attending each listed school

62. 62 Section 5 School Information List those schools with the earliest financial aid deadlines, regardless of whether they are in-state or out-of-state If the student is applying to more than ten schools, wait for the processed Student Aid Report (SAR) and add additional schools via the Web or by phone Strategies for Listing Colleges

63. 63

64. 64 TYPES OF FAFSAs FAFSA on the Web Paper FAFSA

65. 65 FAFSA ON THE WEB Internet application used by students and parents to complete electronic FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov Processed more quickly than paper version Sophisticated on-line edits so that errors are less likely to be made Student and at least one custodial parent should get a federal PIN at www.pin.ed.gov

66. 66 Application Filing Tips FAFSA on The Web Gather necessary documents ahead of time Complete a FAFSA on the Web Worksheet available at www.fafsa.ed.gov Allow ample time to complete form for submission by deadline Check the FAFSA for accuracy prior to submission Save all work periodically Sign the application using student and at least one parent’s PIN Print out a copy of the FAFSA before submitting data Keep a copy of the Submission Confirmation Page

67. 67 File early and meet all deadlines Check the FAFSA for completeness and accuracy Sign and date FAFSA Make a copy of the FAFSA before mailing Mail the FAFSA Do not write any comments on the FAFSA Do not include letters, tax forms, or worksheets Use regular mail (not Registered or Certified) Obtain a U.S. Postal Service Certificate of Mailing (cost is only $1.50) Application Filing Tips Paper FAFSA

68. 68 Student Aid Report (SAR) Regardless of whether the student uses FAFSA on the Web or submits a paper FAFSA, a SAR will be sent to the student An electronic SAR will be sent if student provides an email address A paper SAR will be mailed if no student e-mail address is provided An electronic copy of the data will be sent to each college or university listed by the student in Section 5 Keep a copy of the SAR with other financial aid documents

69. 69 What Happens Next? Students and the colleges the student listed receive Student Aid Report (SAR) from federal processor (CAR)  Students and families review SAR and CAR for important information and accuracy of data  Colleges match admission records with financial aid applications and determine aid eligibility  Colleges mail notices of financial aid eligibility to admitted students who have completed all required financial aid forms

70. 70 Special Circumstances Contact the Financial Aid Office if there is:  Loss or reduction in parent or student income or assets  Death or serious illness  Natural disasters affecting parent income or assets  Unusual medical or dental expenses not covered by insurance  Reduction in child support or other untaxed benefits  Financial responsibility for elderly grandparents  Any other unusual circumstances that affect a family’s ability to contribute to higher education

71. 71 Summary of the Financial Aid Process Submit all required forms, including the FAFSA, by each college’s published deadlines Keep a copy of all forms submitted Review the electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) Acknowledgement or the paper SAR sent to the student Watch for financial aid award notifications from colleges to which the student has been admitted Be sure to apply for financial aid this year and every year as soon as possible AFTER January 1 to receive the best financial aid award possible ASK QUESTIONS!

72. 72 Additional Resources www.finaid.org/fafsa/video.phtml This a 5 minute overview video of the FAFSA www.finaid.org/questions/faq.phtml This is a thorough question and answer document that you may find useful

73. 73 Questions and Answers