<p>How devastating financially is it for a Fall 2009 Freshman to miss the FASFA and/or Cal Grant GPA verification filing deadline of March 2, 2009?</p>
<p>Deadlines are there for a reason. I don’t know how “devastating” it will be for you. Others here have posted that the Cal Grant deadlines are VERY firm. You should also know that if you file LATE the colleges are under no obligation to provide YOU with information on time. AND some financial aid is dispersed on a first come/first served basis. For example, Perkins Loans are limited in dollar amount and are awarded to those who qualify on a first come/first served basis until the money is gone.</p>
<p>Also, some schools review finaid applications filed ON TIME…first…then they deal with the rest. Depending on the school, this could have an effect on the amount of aid you receive.</p>
<p>It’s March 15. Call your schools and ask them what to do. They will tell you. You can also ask them how delayed your financial aid award might be if you file now.</p>
<p>I believe the Calgrant deadline is a firm one meaning you have to meet the deadline to get the Calgrant. Doublecheck though.</p>
<p>For Federal aid it depends on the particular aid. Pell grant and Stafford loans are available whenever you file, there is no deadline. Campus based aid such as SEOG and Perkins have very limited funds and once those funds have been awarded the schools cannot get any more. Missing deadlines makes it less likely you will get them.</p>
<p>I believe you will be able to apply again for the Cal Grant in two years, using your college GPA - but you should double-check this. If you go to community college, then it might be one year rather than two years - again, you need to check. It’s actually a number-of-credits requirement rather than a time requirement. I had some conversations with the Calif. Student Aid Commission’s customer service people about this and read the instructions, but I don’t know anyone who has followed this path.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies. Pretty much what I expected to hear :-(</p>
<p>I noticed on the Cal Grant site that some school’s submit the GPA verification themselves. Hopefully when I talk to the school’s tomorrow I will find out the High School did this?</p>
<p>BTW, is FASFA completion relevant to Academic or Athletic scholarship’s?</p>
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<p>It depends on the school. Some schools require the FAFSA for the awarding of ALL scholarships. Check with the schools.</p>
<p>Yes, you can find out if your school did it for you. Some schools upload all of their students’ GPA’s, and others fill out their part of the paper GPA verification form when requested by the student.</p>