Top Six Financial Aid Tips for Parents
Starting the financial aid process can be completely and utterly confusing. What does it all mean? Where should you and your student begin? What’s most important?
If you want to help your student reduce the cost of college without becoming a financial aid officer yourself, follow our top six financial aid tips for parents. They will help you get the most money for college.
Tip 1: Check the Financial Aid Deadlines
Don't give colleges a reason to deny the money your student is eligible to receive by missing deadlines. Colleges often have a deadline for scholarships or financial aid that’s earlier than the final application deadline. For example, USF’s final application deadline is March 1, but students must apply by January 15 to be considered for admissions scholarships.
You’ll also want to try to complete the FAFSA by the FAFSA priority deadline to improve your student’s chances at receiving a better financial aid package from their chosen schools.
Students and parents who are laser-focused on the application deadline sometimes miss critical financial aid deadlines. Make a calendar of important dates at your student's target schools so that nothing falls through the cracks.
Tip 2: Always Fill Out the FAFSA Form
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is your student’s ticket to qualify for federal financial aid opportunities, including grants, loans, and work-study funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Education. Some colleges also require students to file a FAFSA form before they can qualify for institutional awards and scholarships.
Regardless of your family’s financial situation, you should always fill out the FAFSA. Your student may qualify for more aid than you think! It takes about an hour to complete the FAFSA online, and you’ll need a few key documents, like your driver’s license, W2s, bank statements, etc.
Everyone who is a contributor to your student’s FAFSA will need to create their own FSA ID, so make sure each contributor does so by logging in to studentaid.gov. A contributor is anyone required to provide their information, tax data (via IRS direct transfer with consent), and signature on the FAFSA, which includes the student, biological/adoptive parents, and a parent's spouse (stepparent) if applicable; their information helps determine the student's financial aid eligibility.
Based on the information provided in your FAFSA, the Department of Education will determine your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI is a number used to calculate how much financial aid your student is eligible to receive based on your financial resources (along with your spouse’s or other contributors’).
Don’t Delay – File the FAFSA Form ASAP
The FAFSA is released every year on Oct. 1, but many parents make the mistake of waiting until tax season to file it. This isn’t necessary. In fact, it can cause you to miss deadlines or qualify for less aid.
The FAFSA for the upcoming school year asks for tax returns from nearly two years prior. There’s no need to wait until April to complete the FAFSA, to file a tax return early, or to estimate tax information on the form.
Tip 3: Avoid Common FAFSA Pitfalls
It’s important to fill out the FAFSA correctly. Mistakes could delay processing and make it tougher for your student to get their financial aid offers on time. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
- Forgetting to put the school codes on your FAFSA. For reference, USF’s code is 001537.
- Not double-checking Social Security or driver’s license numbers
- Using the incorrect name. Ensure the name on the FAFSA matches what’s on your forms of legal ID.
Tip 4: Review Your Student’s FAFSA Submission Summary
A few days after submitting the FAFSA online, your student will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary on the dashboard of their studentaid.gov account. You should review it to ensure all the information is accurate. The FAFSA Submission Summary will also show your SAI.
If you believe the information you provided on the FAFSA may not reflect your current family and financial situation, contact the college’s financial aid office for help. Financial aid officers may take additional information you provide into account when determining your student’s financial aid award.
Tip 5: Compare Award Offers
College financial aid offices typically start working on financial aid packages for admitted students in January and February. Financial aid offers are usually issued in late March and early April. Unless they applied for early decision, most students will have until May 1, National College Decision Day, to decide whether they’ll accept the college’s offer of admission and financial aid.
Use this time to carefully compare the financial aid packages awarded by each college before deciding. The biggest aid package isn’t always the best. Focus on the net price of each school to determine your best value.
Online calculators can make this task easier. You also can do it yourself! Use each college’s net price calculator or follow the steps below.
- Tally all the costs of attending a school, including tuition, fees, housing and meals, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. This is your Cost of Attendance, or COA.
- Add up all the items in your award letter that count as gift aid (grants and scholarships that do not need to be repaid).
- Subtract the total gift aid from the COA. This is the net price, which can be used to compare the true cost of each college. You can cover this cost with self-help aid (loans and work-study) or pay out of pocket.
Tip 6: You Can Appeal the Award Offered
If you don’t get the financial aid package you’re hoping for, don’t panic. You can appeal and potentially boost your award, if your student is looking to attend a private school.
If there has been a change in your family structure, like a death or a divorce; a financial change, like a lost job; or if you have been affected by environmental events, like a drought, hurricane, or flood, notify the financial aid offices at each school where your student was accepted. Under these circumstances, they may be able to revise your aid package.
Want more information about scholarships and financial aid at USF? Visit the Office of Financial Aid website, or contact them at 813-974-4700.
