Las Vegas, NV (January 6, 2015) — Students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for student financial aid from the federal government, state governments and most colleges and universities. Last year, more than $248 billion in grants, scholarships, education tax benefits, student employment and student loans were available to help students and their families pay for college. Making mistakes on the FAFSA, however, can affect the types and amounts of financial aid available to the student.
With the start of the application season for the 2015-2016 FAFSA on January 1, 2015, Edvisors has identified The Top 12 Errors to Avoid on the FAFSA. To help applicants avoid these errors, Edvisors is making the 2015-2016 edition of the bestselling book, Filing the FAFSA, available for free download at www.edvisors.com/fafsa-book.
“Most students need some financial help in paying for their education,” said Mark Kantrowitz, Publisher of Edvisors.com. “The first step is to complete the FAFSA. Students and their families tell us that they find the FAFSA to be confusing, so we are providing an updated Filing the FAFSA book with key strategies for avoiding common mistakes.”
According to Edvisors, some of the most common mistakes in completing the FAFSA include:
- Failing to file the FAFSA. About 2 million students would have qualified for federal grants, but did not apply by filing the FAFSA. Every student should apply for financial aid regardless of family income. Additionally, even if they did not get any aid last year, students should complete the FAFSA each year. The financial aid formulas are complicated enough that it is difficult to predict whether students will qualify for financial aid. Even small changes can have a big impact on the amount and types of financial aid students will receive.
- Missing financial aid deadlines. File the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1. Many state and college financial aid programs have very early FAFSA financial application deadlines. A missed filing deadline may jeopardize student eligibility for grants, scholarships and other types of aid. Students who file the FAFSA in January, February and March get more than twice as much grant funding, on average, as students who file the form later.
- Transposing digits in numbers and dollar amounts or adding extra digits. Proofread your FAFSA submission carefully.
Filing the FAFSA provides a step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA and explains how to calculate the real cost of college. The guide also offers strategies for increasing eligibility for financial aid and other filing tips.
In addition to the free guide, Filing the FAFSA, a complete list of the The Top 12 FAFSA Errors to Avoid can be found among other tip sheets at www.edvisors.com/ask/financial-aid-tip-sheets/.
About Edvisors
Edvisors publishes free web sites to help students and families plan and pay for college. Every year, millions of students and their families turn to the company’s flagship site, Edvisors.com, for timely, accurate information, advice and tools that help them confidently make the best decisions about paying for college. At the Edvisors ScholarshipPoints.com site, students earn points and enter scholarship drawings (the site has awarded more than $750,000 to date). StudentScholarshipSearch.com is a large free online database of scholarships with an easy-to-use scholarship matching tool. Founded in 1998, Edvisors is based in Las Vegas, Nevada. More information can be found at www.edvisors.com.