You should pay special attention to the many deadlines in the student financial aid application process. Missing a deadline could prevent you from receiving some or all of the aid you’re eligible to receive.

WHAT DEADLINES DO I HAVE TO MEET?

FAFSA
Whether you apply electronically or by mail, we must receive your paper FAFSA or your FAFSA on the Web transmission by June 30, 2004, for the 2003-2004 school year. If we don’t, your application will not be processed, and you won’t get any federal student aid for the 2003-2004 award year.

Other Deadlines
Each school sets its own deadlines for students to apply for the school’s own aid and to apply for aid from the U.S. Department of Education’s campus-based programs (Federal
Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants [FSEOG], Federal Work-Study [FWS], and Federal Perkins Loans). The deadlines are usually much earlier than
our June 30, 2004, deadline for filing a FAFSA. Check with the school for these deadlines. Also, states have their own deadlines for applying for state aid, so check with your state agency. You might miss out on aid from these programs if you don’t apply early. The inside back cover of this publication lists telephone numbers for state agencies.

SAR Deadline
There is also a deadline for your college or career school to receive your valid Student Aid Report (SAR). A valid record is one that is complete and needs no corrections. If you don’t list the school you plan to attend on your FAFSA, the school will not receive an electronic record. In that case, you must submit a valid paper SAR to the school’s financial aid office
by its deadline. Check with your college or career school to find out its deadline.

Verification Deadline
You might need to go to the financial aid office to certify that all the information reported on your application is correct or to provide additional information if your school requests
it. If your application is selected for this process, called verification, your school might ask you to document that your application information is complete and correct. Check with your school to find out what the deadline is for submitting additional information, if you need to.


WHAT IS VERIFICATION?
The verification process prevents ineligible students from receiving aid if they report false information, and it ensures that eligible students receive all the aid they’re qualified for.
Each year, we select a group of applications for verification. Some of these applications are selected because certain FAFSA information is inconsistent with other information reported on the application; others are chosen at random. Some colleges and career schools also choose applications for verification.

In any case, if your application is selected, you must give your financial aid office certain documentation to show that the application information you provided is correct. The sooner you verify your information, the sooner you’ll be able to receive financial aid, if you’re eligible.