<p>I procrastinated. Yeah. Didn't think Cornell's deadline would be Jan 1. </p>
<p>Send us signed copies of your most recent federal or foreign income tax return. Be sure to include all schedules and W-2 forms. If you do not file income tax returns please contact our office.</p>
<p>I don't think I filed income tax returns so should I just contact them? Or is it just a waste of time since the deadline has passed?</p>
<p>fastMEd~</p>
<p>This should not be a problem. In fact, two years ago, when my son was applying, I was <strong><em>SO</em></strong> sure that he'd be rejected from certain schools that I hadn't bothered to fully complete the finaid stuff for a couple of those schools (though I had done the FAFSA and the CSS Profile). To my utter shock, he <em>was</em> accepted to two of those schools, and I had to scramble to get the tax forms and certain other paperwork in.....and this was in APRIL!!!! :eek: Both schools were wonderful about it. The reason why they want all of the paperwork in is because they want to be able to send you a finaid package WITH the acceptance, if there is one. In our case, S received the acceptances, but we had to wait (nervously!!) for the finaid stuff, which in both cases was exceedingly generous, despite the lapses in getting the forms in. So, go ahead and contact Cornell, but don't worry....they should take your finaid stuff when you get it in. </p>
<p>~berurah</p>
<p>I must respectfully disagree. College financial aid offices dole out need-based aid on a first come first served basis, and no school - even the wealthiest one - has an unlimited financial aid budget. It is therefore ALWAYS to your advantage to comply with stated priority deadlines, or at least to get your forms filed with the school as early as possible. While it is true that colleges will try to give financial aid to all students who need it, most do not promise to meet full financial need, and even at those that do you may end up with a less favorable package (i.e., more loans than you might have received earlier) by applying past stated FA deadlines. While Beurah's son's case turned out fine, no one should count on the same thing happening in every case. In fact, I have worked with students who did not have such a happy ending when they missed deadlines, and know of at least two students who ultimately were unable to attend their top choice school for exactly this reason. Every family, therefore, should take stated financial aid deadlines seriously.</p>
<p>However, <em>most</em> financial aid officers are not ogres and they do understand that sometimes applicants make mistakes. So, my advice would be to call Cornell TODAY and ask what information they need at a minimum now. From looking at their website (<a href="http://finaid.cornell.edu/Prospective/ProspectiveDeadlines.htm)%5B/url%5D">http://finaid.cornell.edu/Prospective/ProspectiveDeadlines.htm)</a>, it appears that what they wanted by Jan. 1 was the Cornell financial aid application, which signifies your intent to apply for financial aid. They state that it should be accompanied by the student and/or parent's 2005 tax return. If you and/or your parents didn't file taxes in 2005, when you call them you can ask what else they need. They may give you a break because of the national day of morning for Ford -- and the fact that you are working quickly to correct your oversight.</p>
<p>They require the CSS Profile to be filed by Feb. 15. It probably would be to your advantage for you/your parents to file their 2006 tax returns early this year to have the required information by then, but if that is not possible, you may be able to estimate your 2006 income and taxes (this can be done by using your last pay stub for 2006, and bank statements). You can make changes or updates later after you actually file for 2006 if necessary, but at least you will be in the FA queue.</p>