Hi,
I’m currently an upcoming senior in high school and I was wondering when would be the appropriate time and when would be the deadline to apply for the FAFSA if I plan to attend college in the Fall of 2019. I’ve only been able to find info on the Fall 2018 school year, which I assume is for students starting college in the Fall, and obviously I’ll still be in highschool by that time so I’m a little confused about when I should apply for aid.
The application will be available Oct 1, 2018. The only deadline is June 30, 2020 to get the federal aid for 2019-20, but many of the schools you apply to may have their own priority deadlines for their aid, and some things like SEOG are awarded based on the filing date, so do it early.
Oh, and some states like California (March 2) have their own dates.
The forms become available on October 1. Each college has its own deadlines. Look on each website for their deadlines.
Some have priority deadlines for early applicants. ALL have deadlines for applications for their aid. Look for each college.
Apply as early as possible.
I plan to apply for ASU and what they told me was that applications open up July 1st, and they’re open to applicants throughout the year until the Fall semester of school begins again in late August. So, I’m assuming that means I have from July 1st, 2018 until August 2019 to apply for admission. I still plan on retaking the ACT and taking the SAT throughout the first few months of 2018 (my senior year), so could I apply for aid in the Spring of 2019?
You can file the school application on July 1. You cannot file FAFSA until October 1, and you can list as many schools as you want, those you’ve applied to and those you are just thinking about. I’d apply Oct 2018 for school beginning in Aug. 2019.
You can apply to ASU early or wait until you retake tests. It’s really up to you. The FAFSA doesn’t cost anything to file. The only reason to wait would be if you or your parents have a big purchase coming up and happen to have a lot of money sitting in an account You don’t want to file if you have money that going to be paid for a new car, house, taxes, etc. Pay/make the purchase first, then file. (this is not a common situation).
I don’t want to apply for ASU right away because I plan to take the SAT around November or December and possibly retake the SAT or ACT (or both) soon after that way I can eventually submit scores to ASU that I’m comfortable with. I most likely will apply for ASU sometime after that, probably during Spring of 2019.
So just for clarification… I can apply for the FAFSA early when it opens in October, and then is it okay if I apply for admission to ASU later on? Sorry for asking lots of questions; I’m just trying to familiarize myself with the college process and such.
Yes.
Thank you!
Here are the application dates for fall 2018. If you are applying for fall 2019, then figure that the dates are similar…but a year later.
https://students.asu.edu/freshman/requirements
I would very strongly suggest that you review the application deadlines for students who also want to be considered for merit aid. Those are earlier than when you plan to take the SAT in November or December, very possibly. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you took the SAT too late.
I have to ask…why are you waiting so long to take the SAT…and why didn’t you take it once at the end of your junior HS year?
You really shouldn’t wait to apply until “spring”. You will need to make a matriculation decision by May 1…and you want all of your acceptances prior to that date…with your financial aid offers.
Honestly…I think you need to consider moving your timeline sooner.
Take the SAT first administration when school starts.
There is a July ACT date and an August SAT date. These are new changes to the test cycle. I’m not sure about ASU specifically but it is generally better to apply earlier even for rolling admissions schools. Especially if you are applying for financial aid.
@MA2012 explained what I was trying to say much more clearly.
Take the SAT earlier. Apply earlier.
Sign up for July and Aug ACT/SAT now and study in the next few weeks, take practice tests.
Then take the earliest ACT/SAT in the fall as well.
Ask ASU what the merit deadline is and ask if you can submit more scores after you apply and be considered for more merit if they go up.
Put more schools on your FAFSA than just ASU!!
Some schools near home that are affordable if you qualify for a Pell Grant, and $5,500 student loan.
Does your state have a grant program too?
Are you very low income?
Just get FAFSA done ASAP in October.
There may very well be a reason (or reasons) not to complete the FAFSA “ASAP,” so it really depends on the individual circumstances of each student.