Office gives advice about
financial aid
By Kurt Esposito
Assistant
Campus Editor
The Office of Financial Aid reports the most frequent
problems with students filing for aid are that they either do not file
on time or they fill out the forms incorrectly.
In an effort to remind students that the deadline
to file for aid is March 1, and to educate students about how to file
correctly, February has been proclaimed Financial Aid Month in the state
of Indiana.
"We pick an important month to make sure that people
are aware that there is financial aid out there for college," said Joyce
Hall, the director of financial aid.
Hall said it's important that students file the
Free Application for Federal Student Aid before March 1 because that
gives them the best chance to be eligible to receive federal, state
and college aid.
Students have until March 1 to re-file their Free
Application for Federal Student Aid or they could lose priority consideration.
If students don't file by March 1, they would still
be eligible to receive federally controlled financial aid, though it
would have to be paid back with interest.
Hall said one of the biggest problems is that students
who filed for financial aid in the past think they no longer have to
file for aid every year.
"It's the students who have filed one time in the
past that need to file on time again," said Marvin Smith, associate
director of financial aid.
The Office of Financial Aid encourages students
and parents to have their tax forms filed, or have their taxes figured
out, by the time they submit their applications. If students do not
have their taxes filed by the time they submit the applications, they
will be asked to provide that information at a later date.
Hall said that even if students do not need financial
aid, they should file for it just in case their financial situation
changes later.
"It's free to file. It's a little paper work, but
it's worth it," she said.
Smith said students should also postmark applications
sent by mail to verify that they mailed the application by the deadline.
Hall said some of the common mistakes students
make when filling out their forms are using nicknames or the wrong school
code. Both students and parents also make the mistake of putting "taxes
withheld" as "taxes paid."
Smith said the federal government has made it easier
to apply for financial aid.
He said students are now encouraged to apply online
by using an issued pin number, and parents will soon be able to obtain
their own pin numbers as well. The online site also has a self-editing
system, which will catch mistakes students make while filling out the
form.
Both the written and online applications now come
with basic information like the student's name and social security number
already filled out, so students will only have to update their financial
information.
To remind students and parents about the upcoming
deadline, Purdue will send letters and e-mails to them announcing that
the deadline is approaching.
Purdue faculty and staff will also be available
at a financial aid workshop at 2 p.m. on Feb 11 at Ivy Tech State College.
They will offer advice to students and parents on how to re-file for
financial aid.
|
