Although the new school year has just begun, it won’t be long before October 1 is here. That’s when the 2019-2020 FAFSA, CSS/PROFILE and NYS TAP application come online and parents of current high school seniors are able to complete and submit these forms.
Here’s who should file the FAFSA and/or CSS/PROFILE :
- Any US citizen or permanent resident wanting to receive need-based aid who believes they might qualify
- Anyone who thinks they may require financial aid at any point during their child’s undergraduate career. Many colleges will not consider a financial aid application from a matriculated student, admitted as a full-pay freshman, if they did not originally submit the FAFSA when they applied for admission as a high school senior.
- Anyone who expects to have two or more children in college at the same time, which significantly lowers the threshold for need-based eligibility
- Anyone applying for merit aid at (a handful of) institutions that require either the FAFSA or PROFILE for consideration for such awards
Here’s who should apply for New York’s Tuition Assistance Plan (TAP):
- Any New York State resident applying to at least one college or university (public or private) in New York State who believes they might qualify for this need-based grant
Here’s what you need to know about these forms and their deadlines:
- All institutions require submission of the FAFSA for need-based financial aid consideration (including federal student loans and work-study). For current high school seniors expecting to attend college next year, the 2019-2020 FAFSA can be accessed and submitted at https://fafsa.ed.gov/beginning October 1, 2018 (currently, only last year’s form is online). Do NOT go to any other commercial (e.g., dot com) FAFSA prep site that charges a fee; FAFSA stands for FREE Application for Federal Student Aid.
- Nearly 400 colleges, universities and scholarship programs also require submission of the CSS/PROFILE. A list of those institutions is here, but it’s always best to check the website or financial aid office of the college itself; to access, complete and submit the 2019-2020 form on or after the 1st, go to https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org (currently, only last year’s form is online). At present, the fee for completing the Profile is $25, and $16 for each school to receive the Profile report.
- NYS FAFSA filers who request that the Student Aid Report (SAR) be sent to at least one institution in New York can directly link to the TAP application from the bottom of the FAFSA submission confirmation page. If you miss that link, you also can apply for TAP directly from its website. For more info: https://www.hesc.ny.gov/pay-for-college/apply-for-financial-aid/nys-tap.html
- The deadline to submit these forms varies from college to college. This means you’ll need to check each school’s website (or directly with the financial aid office) to know the final submission deadline for each. Missing deadlines may seriously impact your child’s eligibility for assistance.
- A growing number of colleges now indicate a November 1 or November 15 financial aid deadline for Early Decision and Early Action applicants. It’s always best to submit applications—even to those schools with later, regular admission deadlines—as soon as possible after October 1
In the meantime, to get the most accurate sense of how your financial situation will look to college financial aid offices, use the Net Price Calculator (NPC) provided by the schools to which your children are planning to apply; don’t hesitate to contact college financial aid officers directly with questions and, when visiting campuses, you can also meet with officers to discuss a particularly complex family situation or specific financial concerns.
College can be affordable if you know what you need to do—and when—to apply for and receive need-based aid and merit scholarships.
Sandra M. Moore, MAis a an independent educational consultant and the founder of Next Step College Counseling. A former college admission director and professional member of HECA, IECA, NACAC and NYSACAC, Sandra was invited to join IECA’s College Committee’s Sub-committee on Affordability, which provides information and training for the organization’s membership. She’s been a guest blogger on the IECA website and the author of Debunking Need-based and Merit Aid Myths in IECA’s “Insights” newsletter. Sandra presented a session for new IECA members, entitled College Affordability 101, during the association’s annual spring conference in Denver last May. Most recently, she helped created IECA’s newest flier, How to Pay for College, and served as the guest expert on college admission and financial aid in the August edition of the online Sanctuary magazine.
