Fafsa, First Stop When Looking for Money For School

It is 2014 and if you haven't already it is time to file your Fafsa! Back in the days of high school, I remember being told that we should file the mighty Fafsa on January 1st. I don't always listen to good advice though and usually file later in the year. This year I filed early though! I am on a mission that I am calling "debt free college degree." The United States has a huge student loan debt problem, and a lot of my peers are being forced to start making student loan payments on meager salaries. So I am going to find all the free money for college that I can. First step to free money is the Fafsa.

Fafsa is short for Free Application For Student Aid. You can pay to have a 3rd party fill the application out for you, but it does not cost anything to file. The website is located at: https://fafsa.ed.gov.

I haven't filed my taxes yet, but there is an option to file your Fafsa beforehand, and then come back and fill in the missing information after you file your taxes. You can use information from the year before or you can estimate what you think it will be. This year will be the first time I take advantage of this.

College Board has some more tips on How to Complete the FAFSA.

In addition to any Pell grants, subsidized and unsubsidized student loans I might be eligible from the federal government, my state has a grant that I am automatically entered for when I fill out the Fafsa that is worth $2000 dollars. It is first come first serve. I don't know if I will qualify for it or not, but in case I do I want to make sure I apply before the grants run out. Other states do have more requirements, for example in California you have to submit a verified GPA to get a CAL Grant, so any students interested need to do their homework ahead of time and make sure they get started early enough.