School FAFSA deadline: March 1st! Does that mean submit by march 1st or...?

<p>my dad will be getting his taxes done tomorrow and will be filling out the form hopefully tomorrow. Both of us have our pins. So my question is will I meet the deadline if I submit FAFSA online, sign electronically by March 1st? Or do I have to have my SAS by march 1st cuz then I am screwed.??</p>

<p>It varies from school to school. Some schools consider the deadline met as long as you file by the deadline date. For others, the school has to receive it by the deadline, which means it should be filed a couple of weeks ahead of the deadline to be safe. All of my D's schools had March 1 as the deadline, but two of them told us that they needed the info by then and to file by the middle of February.</p>

<p>crap... if it's two weeks before.</p>

<p>How many schools are involved? If a few, call the finaid dept and ask. You may be fine. Remember that the deadline is a priority deadline usually - that doesn't mean you won't get money - it means you won't be in line first for it, but it may not matter at all in the long run. The school websites may tell you how their deadline works too - and FAFSA may have a site that lists the schools and their deadlines.</p>

<p>FAFSA doesn't have a page that lists all the schools and their deadlines - you need to check with each school.</p>

<p>If I am not mistaken, most FA offices use wording like "have your FAFSA and Profile in by March 1 for priority aid awards." Meaning that even though you may have missed the deadline, does not mean you have missed the boat. Just that you may have to stand instead of sitting on the boat. Each case and each school is different, so if you are concerned or not certain call or write.</p>