Due dates for assignments and tests aren't the only things students should mark on their calendars.
As they work on exams, students should remember that the deadline to file for FAFSA is Friday, Feb. 7 if they want to be eligible for the Tennessee Promise scholarship.
It was due on Saturday, Feb. 1, originally. After several schools closed across East Tennessee, the Tennessee Promise program changed the due date to Feb. 7 to give students more time to meet with school counselors and complete their FAFSA requirement.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is a crucial application that helps students get financial aid to pay for college. It is used to determine how much federal aid a student can get, along with state-based aid like the HOPE scholarship. Students can file online, at the FAFSA website.
TnAchieves said it wants every student to have the opportunity to apply, and the entire process should take fewer than 30 minutes.
“People continue to hear that it’s difficult and intimidating and maybe in some ways it is. But really I think once you start and as long as you have the appropriate information… it really is a quick process," Krissy DeAlejandro, executive director of tnAchieves, said.
The FAFSA is broken into seven sections: student demographics, school selection, dependency status, parent demographics, financial information, sign and submit, and confirmation.
To complete the form, make sure you have all these forms and documents on hand.
- Social Security number
- Federal income tax returns from 2018
- W-2s
- Bank statements
- Records of any investments
- Records of any untaxed income
One of the biggest mistakes people make when trying to apply is Googling "FAFSA" and going to a fake website, DeAlejandro said.
DeAlejandro also said people need to triple check their Social Security numbers, because it can be a long process to correct this information.
Students who are not interested in participating in the Tennessee Promise scholarship can wait to file until June 30.
"Even if you’re not taking part of Tennessee Promise, (Tennessee Achieves) strongly encourages all students to complete the FAFSA. It really is the gateway to any college decision, and you never know when your plans might change," DeAlejandro said.
For any additional assistance in completing FAFSA, students and families may contact tnachieves@tnachieves.org. For more information, visit www.tnachieves.org.