Come to our FAFSA Night on Wednesday, January 16th, 6:00 - 8:30pm in the Cafeteria to file your FAFSA alongside experts from PVCC!
Come to our Paying for College Night Wednesday, October 5th 6:30-7:30pm to learn all about the FAFSA and scholarships!
Check the bottom of the page for checklists of what you need to fill out the FAFSA, and helpful step-by-step guides.
FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is the BEST way to get connected to help for paying for college. I would love to help you and your family complete it at any time, as it can be a confusing process.
What does it do? The FAFSA is a government application that simply takes financial information about your family and gives you a report on how much it believes your family can pay for college.
When is the deadline? The priority deadline is March 1, this is the final date to submit your FAFSA to ensure you have your financial aid package before you have to pick your college on May 1.
Is my information protected? Yes! This is a government application.
Is it worth it? Yes! The worst that can happen is the FAFSA determines your family can pay a lot for college. It does not require you to take out any loans or even go to college.
When can I fill it out? The FAFSA opens October 1st, and the sooner you do it the better. While PELL Grant money does not run out, some other grants do have national limits, and it will be easier to make your school decision if you get your financial aid report from them sooner. See priority filing deadlines for each school here: https://www.schev.edu/financial-aid/financial-aid-deadlines#:~:text=FAFSA%20%E2%80%93%20Continuing%20and%20Transfer%20students,Priority%20consideration%20as%20funds%20available).&text=Continuing%20Students%3A%20FAFSA%20%2D%20February%201.
What can I do now? Create your account! All you need is your Social Security Number. Do so at this link or come to me for help: studentaid.gov
What if I/my parents don't have a Social? If your parents don't have a Social, you can still fill out the FAFSA! They will enter all 0s (000-00-0000) as their SSN, and then one of them will need to sign a printed out copy of the FAFSA that you mail in to the FAFSA office instead of signing virtually.
If you don't have a Social, then you are eligible to complete the VASA, which is an application for aid through the state of Virginia for those with varying documentation status. You are able to attend and receive money to go to any school in Virginia! Come to me for help with this!
What is Verification? Being selected for verification does not mean you did anything wrong, over 30% of FAFSAs are verified, and many of those are picked at random. Most of the time, aid is not adjusted a whole lot after verification. Check out these links for more info on Verification and/or come talk to me! English: My FAFSA Was Flagged For Verification? What Should I Do? | Get Schooled
Español: ¿Mi FAFSA Fue Seleccionada Para Verificación? ¿Qué Debo Hacer? | Get Schooled
Helpful Resources
Who's my parent? Am I an independent?: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1oejVK2eSL8QRHi2tM_iecStmytCSrk1O/view?usp=share_link
What information do I need? Checklist: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NCMFnND-b2eIGQM0xTAGasMeMXcqtzDL/view?usp=share_link
