<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>Im currently a junior in high school, and college is coming up pretty soon!(jeez, i cant believe im almost in college!) </p>
<p>Im wondering: what time in the year do I fill out financial aid forms like FAFSA? How about the financial aid forms for individual college? Do I fill them out when I apply? Or during this summer? </p>
<p>Thanks a lot, guys, appreciate it.</p>
<p>You need to fill out FAFSA in 1-1-2012, but also IDOC and CSS Profile in October for certain schools. Apply to a lot of scholarships.</p>
<p>You cannot file the FAFSA for the 2012-13 academic year until after Jan. 1, 2012. Generally it’s a good idea to file it pretty early in the year, certainly in the first month or so if you can.</p>
<p>For specific colleges, make sure to look at each school’s financial aid webpages so you know exactly what they want from you and the deadlines by which they want it. This can vary greatly from school to school, so it’s important you keep track of the requirements and due dates. Unless you’re applying early, this will also probably be in the first 2-3 months of your high school senior year. If you’re applying early, the deadlines may very well be earlier, like Nov/Dec of your high school senior year.</p>
<p>You do want to run a FAFSA calculator now so that you and your parents have a good idea about what the MINIMUM amount that the colleges will expect you to pay is going to be. Here is one: [FinAid</a> | Calculators | Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and Financial Aid](<a href=“Your Guide for College Financial Aid - Finaid”>Expected Family Contribution (EFC) Calculator - Finaid)</p>
<p>If your parents cannot afford to pay at least what their FAFSA EFC is, then you need to find out just exactly how much they can pay, and make sure that your list includes some colleges/universities you can afford with no more than the aid you qualify for under FAFSA. In other words, be sure you Safety School is both an Academic and a Financial Safety.</p>