State FAFSA Deadlines for 2012

State FAFSA Deadlines for 2012 - 2013

Posted on Mon, Jan 09, 2012

state fafsa deadlines By Dean Tsouvalas
StudentAdvisor.com Editor-in-Chief

The FAFSA is your first and most important step to getting the money you need to help you pay for college. And we have all the FAFSA Deadlines for 2012 - 2013.

Federal Deadline:

FAFSA applications for the 2012-2013 school year must be submitted by midnight Central Time, June 30, 2013. Any corrections or updates to an existing application can be submitted by midnight Central Time, September 15, 2013.

College Deadlines:

Some colleges set a different financial aid deadline than the state and federal deadlines. They may also have additional forms their financial aid department needs from you in order for you financial aid application to be considered complete. If the college deadline is significantly earlier than the state and federal deadline, have that deadline take priority. You should also ask your college about their definition of an application deadline – whether it is the date they receive your FAFSA, or the date your FAFSA is processed.

State Deadlines:

To be considered for state-funded financial aid such as grants and need-based scholarships you should submit your FAFSA before your state's deadline. Each state has a different FAFSA deadline for this. Find your state's deadline in the listings below. Keep in mind that your state of residence is often used to determine your eligibility for state-funded financial aid:

Alabama	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Alaska	AK Education Grant and AK Performance Scholarship – June 30, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
American Samoa	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Arizona	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Arkansas	For Academic Challenge – June 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For Workforce Grant – check with your financial aid administrator. For Higher Education Opportunity Grant – June 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
California	For initial awards – March 2, 2012. Applicants encouraged to keep a record of their submission by printing out their online FAFSA confirmation page or obtaining proof of mailing the FAFSA. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency. For additional community college awards – September 2, 2012 – date postmarked. Applicants encouraged to keep a record of their submission by printing out their online FAFSA confirmation page or obtaining proof of mailing the FAFSA. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.
Colorado	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Connecticut	February 15, 2012. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.
Delaware	April 15, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
District of Columbia	June 30, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. Additional form may be required. For priority consideration, submit application by May 15, 2012. Contact your state agency for more information.
Federated States of Micronesia	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Florida	May 15, 2012 – date processed.
Georgia	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Guam	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Hawaii	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Idaho	Opportunity Grant – March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.
Illinois	As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted.
Indiana	March 10, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Iowa	July 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time; earlier priority deadlines may exist for certain programs.
Kansas	April 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.
Kentucky	As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted.
Louisiana	June 30, 2013 (July 1, 2012 recommended)
Maine	May 1, 2012, by midnight, Central Time.
Marshall Islands	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Maryland	March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Massachusetts	May 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
Michigan	March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Minnesota	30 days after term starts by midnight, Central Time.
Mississippi	MTAG and MESG Grants – September 15, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. HELP Scholarship – March 31, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Missouri	April 2, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Montana	March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
Nebraska	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Nevada	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
New Hampshire	New Hampshire is not offering a state grant this year.
New Jersey	2011-2012 Tuition Aid Grant recipients – June 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. All other applicants – October 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time, for fall and spring terms; March 1, 2013 by midnight, Central Time, for spring term only.
New Mexico	Check with your financial aid administrator.
New York	June 30, 2013 by midnight, Central Time. Applicants encouraged to keep a record of their submission by printing out their online FAFSA confirmation page or obtaining proof of mailing the FAFSA. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency.
North Carolina	As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted.
North Dakota	April 15, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified. Early priority deadlines may exist for institutional programs.
N. Mariana Islands	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Ohio	October 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Oklahoma	March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
Oregon	OSAC Private Scholarships – March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. Oregon Opportunity Grant – February 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Palau	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Pennsylvania	All first-time applicants at a community college; a business/trade/technical school; a hospital school of nursing; or enrolled in a non-transferable 2-year program – August 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. All other applicants – May 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time.
Puerto Rico	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Rhode Island	March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
South Carolina	Tuition Grants – June 30, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. SC Commission on Higher Education – As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted.
South Dakota	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Tennessee	For State Grant – As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted. For State Lottery – September 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
Texas	Check with your financial aid administrator.
U.S. Virgin Islands	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Utah	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Vermont	As soon as possible after January 1, 2012. Awards made until funds are depleted. Additional form may be required.
Virginia	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.
Washington	Check with your financial aid administrator.
West Virginia	Promise Scholarship - March 1, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified. Additional form may be required. Contact your financial aid administrator or your state agency. WV Higher Education Grant Program - April 16, 2012 by midnight, Central Time. For priority consideration, submit application by date specified.
Wisconsin	Check with your financial aid administrator.
Wyoming	Check with your financial aid administrator. Additional form may be required.

Tags: financial aid, financial advice, fasfa, financial aid for college, FAFSA, free application for federal student aid, fafsa, fafsa deadlines, Financial Aid, Financial Aid Forms, Free Application for Federal Student Aid

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On average students received more than $12,000 in aid for the last academic year. This year get a share of $227 Billion in student aid. Here are some experts' tips on how to avoid mistakes when preparing a federal student aid application:

Accuracy Counts. Federal aid applications are rejected by the federal government for errors from miscalculating adjusted gross income to not signing the form. Calculation mistakes can reduce an aid award even if an aid application isn’t rejected. For example, taxable income isn’t adjusted gross income. If parents have tapped into retirement funds, it should be added to either untaxed income or adjusted gross income, not both, or the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) will increase, and aid eligibility will decrease.

First-Come, First-Served. Those who file as close to January 1 as possible are in the best position to get all the aid they are eligible to receive. Using income estimates is allowed – even encouraged - and a student won’t lose their place in the virtual line by later updating the application with final income amounts.

Beat Deadlines. Most colleges and states have their own deadlines. The earliest deadline for the 2012-13 FAFSA is in four weeks - Feb 1, 2012. The longer a student waits, the more students get ahead of them.

Not All Assets Count. A primary residence, retirement plans, small family-owned businesses, and the cash value of life insurance don’t count as assets on the FAFSA. Some of the most common and costly mistakes are made by incorrectly reporting assets.

Dependency Surprises. Just because a student financially supports themselves, doesn’t mean they are independent under FAFSA rules. Many students are considered dependent until age 24 requiring parents’ income on their FAFSA. However, for children of divorced parents only the income of the parent with whom the child lived with the most during the past 12 months is counted.

Job Loss Relief. If a member of a household has had their job eliminated, a student may be eligible for more aid. Look for the ‘dislocated worker’ question and see if the family meets one of the four criteria. Dislocated workers’ assets are counted differently than others – typically helping reduce an EFC, which increases aid eligibility.

Double Check. Transposing numbers and mistyping are very common mistakes. Double check everything. There are hundreds of ways to make a mistake on a FAFSA. Having a professional check the answers can help ensure a student gets the most aid possible. Answer the FAFSA truthfully, accurately and completely.

Professional Help. While most high school counselors don’t have time or in-depth FAFSA knowledge to assist students, some communities host FAFSA-preparation events each winter. College financial aid officials may provide guidance to their students. Help from fee-based FAFSA preparation services is allowed, too. Some experts, such as Student Financial Aid Services (<a>http://www.fafsa.com), provide free or discounted services to low-income students and provide assistance in multiple languages.

Early Estimates in Minutes. Waiting for the spring arrival of aid award letters to learn a student’s aid eligibility and a college’s affordability is agony. Why wait? Check colleges’ Net Price Calculators (NPC) for an estimate of a full-time, first-time student’s aid eligibility and net price. Advanced NPCs also estimate out-of-pocket cost and the total cost of a degree. The most reliable NPCs ask 30 to 40 questions, which takes about 10 minutes to answer. That’s insight into aid eligibility in the time it takes to make a sandwich. But remember, answering NPC questions, will not get a student their aid, preparing a FAFSA is required.

Posted @ Monday, January 09, 2012 12:34 PM by Mary Fallon

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State FAFSA Deadlines for 2012 - 2013

Federal Deadline:

College Deadlines:

State Deadlines:

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