Monthly Archives: February 2011

I had no idea that it was even possible for me to afford college, until I heard about financial aid. When representatives from UofL would visit my high school and tell me about aid to help pay for college, I would always hear “file your FAFSA”, but I had no idea what a FAFSA was. My parents and I decided to attend College Goal Sunday my senior year of high school, where financial aid advisors were available to help educate us on what the FAFSA is, what aid is available, and how to file the FAFSA.

At College Goal Sunday, my parents and I learned that FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, available at http://www.fafsa.gov. You must file the FAFSA every year that you’re in school with the previous year’s tax information, so for example, you file the 2011-2012 FAFSA with your and your parents’ 2010 tax information. A new FAFSA is available to file January 1st each year for the upcoming school year and it is best to file as soon as possible to be eligible for more aid. You can always file the FAFSA early with estimated tax information, and then after your and your parents’ taxes are filed, go back to the FAFSA to put in the actual tax information. Continue reading →