Is there a first come-first serve within the priority deadline pool? Am I just as likely to get the financial aid I deserve 2 weeks before the priority deadline than say if I submitted a month earlier?
The reason I’m asking is because my 1st year I got FSEOG grant. My 2nd year I missed the priority deadline so I understand why I didn’t get the FSEOG grant. My 3rd semester, I submitted fafsa 2 weeks before my school’s priority deadline, but I still didn’t get the FSEOG grant. Now I can’t help but think that if I submitted it even earlier than 2 weeks before the priority deadline I would have had a better chance at getting the grant?
So yeah, is there a first come-first serve within the priority deadline pool? Part of me wants to bash myself for not submitting it even earlier.
Do you have a source on that? If that’s true, I really wish I knew that. This is kind of infuriating. I get as college students we’re suppose to take care of ourselves and be more responsible, but no one even gave me this info.
Nevermind in hindsight when they said fill it out as soon as possible I really should have instead of making it so close to the priority deadline, even though I did 2 weeks prior.
Schools can hand out the SEOG and work study funds in any way they feel fair. Some do it on a first in line, first to get the funds. Others set a deadline and then award the funds to those who have met the deadline and are either the most needy or divide the funds among all who met the deadline. Some give the funds to the most needy.
FSEOG is not an entitlement the way PELL is an entitlement. There is a limited amount of money given to the school and it is the college who determines how those monies are distributed. Some schools may give the money on a first come basis to eligible students, while others give it to their neediest students. I have seen some schools give the monies to freshen in the opportunity programs because the college prohibits the student from working freshmen year
Anyone who wants the limited per campus funds lime SEOG, work study or Perkins loans should be submitting their FAFSA the day it becomes available for submission…that was October 1.
So…if you are interested in those…get that FAFSA submitted NOW. NOW? Because it’s very possible there are already a lot of eligible folks in the queue already.
Just found out my EFC. “For 2015-2016 it was 871 and for 2016-2017 it was 0.” For both years, I didn’t receive the FSEOG, so it seems there is a first come-first serve before the priority deadline (assuming 0 EFC = FSEOG grant)
However, I was given this information from my previous financial aid counselor, “since aid is offered on a very limited funding basis, students are considered for all sources of aid AS LONG AS THEY SUBMIT THE INITIAL FAFSA BY THE PRIORITY FILING DATE.”
So I submitted two weeks before the priority date and now I’m out ~$4000. This was last year, but losing money over my own financial advisor’s ignorance or lack of clarity just makes me furious.
Ok, so quite possibly you might have gotten SEOG in the first two years if you applied for FAFSA right as it opened. Or maybe just the year you had the $0 EFC.
We don’t know how your college awards these funds, but normally it is more likely to get the limited aid funds if applying earlier.
But what was your EFC in 2017/18 when you got SEOG, and what is the EFC for 2018/19?
And how are you missing out on $4,000?
SEOG is usually a lower amount I thought, around $1,000.
If you did the FAFSA in the beginning of October, as it seems you did, you have a good chance of getting this extra aid, but like others said, it is not guaranteed, unlike Pell and student loans.
For my first year (2014-2015), I got $1500 FSEOG per term for both terms.
2015-2016 EFC 871 — I submitted FAFSA late. Not sure if I didn’t get FSEOG for being late or because my EFC was not 0. In any case, I accept this as I submitted way past due the priority deadline. However, this is when my financial advisor tells me that as long as I submit it before the priority deadline next year, I’ll be considered for full-potential financial aid.
2016-2017 EFC 0 — I heeded my financial advisor’s words and submitted FAFSA 2 weeks before priority deadline and no FSEOG (another ~$3000). This is when I got suspicious that my advisor gave me false information and that there is a first come-first serve within the priority deadline pool.
2017-2018 EFC 40 - I’m on co-op (Northeastern University) and going back to school Spring semester. For this year, I submitted FAFSA 2 months (2/15/2017) before school’s priority deadline (4/1/2017). I’ll know my financial package soon and hopefully I’ll get the FSEOG.
2018-2019 - I haven’t submit FAFSA yet, but will do so today.
I hope that answers all of you questions.
In terms of good news, I got a new financial advisor who seems to be a lot more responsive than my previous one.
Please do not feel as you missing out on anything because SEOG is not an entitlement and you should not count on getting each year because there is no guarantee that you will.
I know many schools that only package SEOG freshman year, because they get to borrow the least amount of money and they are the group most likely to not have gained any experiences that can get them departmental scholarships, or internships (which are all more readily available to upper class men)
Funds are distributed according to the institutional mission. No one knows what SEOG will look like next year because there is talk about cutting this funding all together since most students who receive SEOG are already receiving federal funds from PELL.