10 Financial Aid Forms You Can’t Afford to Forget

Parents should be diligently completing these forms and strictly adhering to the timeline. Wendy David-Games, from StudentAdvisor.com, wrote a compelling article about all the financial forms you may need to complete in order to be eligible for the MOST financial aid. Her article is below.

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Colleges determine which financial aid applications they require to calculate financial aid awards. There are billions of dollars in financial aid available from the federal government and each state, college institutional funds, and outside private scholarships. Awards are based on individual applications and the needs of the applying student.

The federal government requires completion of the FAFSA to be eligible for federal financial aid. Many individual colleges also require the FAFSA completion to be eligible for merit aid, loans or work study options. In addition, many colleges necessitate additional forms be completed. Each college has its own set of requirements so be sure to check with the financial aid offices of the schools you’re applying to in order to keep track of the forms you need to fill out. And don’t forget about applying for additional financial aid from your state government or outside private scholarships!

Here are 10 of the most important financial forms you may need to fill out:

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) – a federal financial aid application form required by all colleges for federal financial aid including grants, loans, and work/study. In addition, some colleges use the FAFSA to award money from its own endowment funds and others require additional forms.

State – Visit your state’s department of education site for information on state-sponsored financial aid programs for state residents.

Institutional – Contact colleges on your list for additional institutional forms that the school may require before awarding money from its own endowment funds for financial aid.

CSS/Financial Aid PROFILE® is an additional form required by a few hundred colleges before they award money from their own endowment funds. Check with the colleges you’re applying to before filling one out to see if it’s necessary.

CSS Business/Farm Supplement may need to be completed for the CSS Profile if your family owns a business or farm.

CSS NonCustodial Profile is an additional form for the CSS Profile that divorced/separated families may need to complete.

Outside Scholarships sponsored by businesses, employers, individuals, high schools, fraternal organizations and other private groups have their own application forms to determine award winners.

College Scholarships from a schools’ special endowment funds may be awarded in addition to financial aid programs. Some colleges use their admission application for their scholarship programs and others require additional forms.

Verification Worksheet is to be completed if a student’s FAFSA was selected for review by the college.

Appeal forms – After you get your financial award letter from the school you may realize that the award package falls short of your financial need. Some colleges will have financial aid appeal forms for students seeking a reconsideration of their financial aid awards.