<p>So, I know the FAFSA deadline is June 30th, 2015. But, why do colleges like UW (Deadline Febuary 2014) have the FAFSA due earlier? And, when they say "financial aid programs for the 2014-2015 school year", does that mean the scholarships available for the 2014-2015 year, or the scholarships that will take effect for students in college during the 2014-2015 school year?</p>
<p>The FAFSA deadline for the 2014-2015 award year is June 30, 2015, and you can get Pell and loans if you are still in school when the FAFSA is processed (once you leave school, even for summer vacation in 2015, it is too late to apply for aid even if the 6/30 deadline has not passed). In addition, schools have campus-based aid they can award (SEOG, FWS) that will not be available to late filers. They may have institutional aid to award that will not be available to late filers. Finally, your aid may not be ready for the start of school if you wait until late to file (for example, if you file August 30 for a fall term that starts in early September, your aid will probably not be ready when school starts).</p>
<p>Scholarships are separate from federal financial aid. Schools set their own deadlines for scholarships. A deadline of February 2014 for a scholarship is for the 2014-2015 academic year.</p>
<p>Alright, thanks for clearing this up.</p>
<p>But does this mean that I can’t complete the FAFSA application during the summer?</p>
<p>^The first day that you can complete 2014-2015 FAFSA is 1/1/2014. 2014-2015 FAFSA covers the school year from July 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015 See <a href=“https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2014-15-fafsa.pdf”>https://studentaid.ed.gov/sites/default/files/2014-15-fafsa.pdf</a></p>
<p>Oh, alright. Thanks for the help guys.</p>
<p>Many people cannot accurately complete the FAFSA until they do their taxes, as the answers have to match that on the 1040 series when and if verification with the returns are done. But one can fill it out with info available and guessing, and then correct later which is advisable many times especially to meet stated deadline. Some of the aid is limited and it’s first come, first serve. When it’s gone, that’s it. </p>
<p>Um…don’t “guess” on your FAFSA. Use good estimates. There is a difference. By January 1 of your senior year in high school, your family will have earned their income from the previous year…and should have paychecks with year to date earnings on them. Use that information to complete your estimated FAFSA.</p>
<p>But important! The year you will be a college freshman, your family should actually complete their federal taxes ASAP after February 1st. This is NOT the year to wait until April 15 to do those taxes. So…if your family is one who tends to wait…they should not do so the year you are a HS senior.</p>
<p>And yes, I DO know that self employed often file for extensions until October. If possible, try not to do that.</p>
<p>Any financial aid award you get prior to completing your taxes will be an estimate…and yes, your award can change if the info from your tax return is different enough. </p>