Financial Aid
- Soon after January 1 of your high school senior year (or the year in which you’ll be entering college), complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which is available to complete online (preferred method) or in paper format. You must submit this form in order to be considered for all federal financial aid programs, most institutional programs, and most state program. When completing your FAFSA, be sure to list all of the schools you’re interested in attending, even though you may not yet have been notified that you’ve been accepted for enrollment. Also, if you’re a dependent student, be sure to ask your parents to fill out their tax forms in early spring in order to have the information needed for your FAFSA and other financial aid forms. If they do not have their tax returns completed in time to apply for financial aid, you can use an estimate of income and taxes to file your FAFSA. You also need to fill out your tax forms in early spring in order to have the information needed for the FAFSA.
- For specific instructions on how to complete the FAFSA, visit the Filling Out the FAFSA page of Federal StudentAid's StudentAid.gov.
- If you filed your FAFSA online you’ll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) within one to two weeks after submission. If you filed a paper FAFSA, you will receive a SAR within four to six weeks. Review your SAR carefully and follow the instructions provided. If you need a duplicate SAR, or need to check the status of your application, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800.4FEDAID or 319.337.5665. You can also check the status of your FAFSA online
- Remember, the published cost of a college does not represent the true cost. What really matters to the student is the amount the student will pay. Use the "Net Price Calculator" tool on college websites.