<p>Kelly,
Lawrence’s deadline for need-based financial aid is March 15. You must have all of your financial aid paperwork in to them by that date. This year, I would suggest submitting your FAFSA and other paperwork as soon as possible after January 1 (the date that FAFSA starts taking applications for 2009-2010). This isn’t just for Lawrence, but for all schools.</p>
<p>Lawrence does offer a number of MERIT scholarships. In order to be considered for those, you must apply by the stated deadlines of the application program you’ve chosen. For Early Action, that deadline is December 1. For Regular Decision, it is January 15. All students who apply by the deadlines will be considered for merit scholarships.</p>
<p>If you check on the Lawrence financial aid homepage all of this is explained. My advice for all questions like this is not to rely on this or other boards for information - ALWAYS go directly to the source, the colleges themselves. That way, you will always have the correct information.</p>
<p>By the way, unless you have applied Early Decision, NO COLLEGE will require you to have ALL of your financial aid paperwork done by December 1 – that would be impossible since you can only submit FAFSA for 2009-2010 after January 1, 2009. Again, this year, it would be worthwhile to get everything done as soon as possible after January 1. It is true that at many schools, the earlier you get your financial aid application in after January 1, the more likely you will be to get the best financial aid package.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>