Follow these recommendations to ensure that you will receive all of the financial aid for which you are eligible:
High school seniors should apply for admission and merit-based scholarships, preferably by December 1, but not later than February 1, for maximum scholarship consideration. Transfer students should apply for admission during the semester preceding their desired first semester at UE.
High school seniors should file the 2009-10 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) after January 1, 2009. The FAFSA is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. By completing the FAFSA, you are applying for all forms of need-based financial aid, including grants, student loans, and work-study.
The 2009-10 FAFSA will ask questions about your 2008 tax information. Parents and students should complete 2008 federal tax returns as soon as all required tax documents become available. In most cases, this means early February. It is best to use a completed federal tax return to assist in the completion of the FAFSA. Estimated information should be used only if it is impossible to meet the filing deadline discussed below.
The University of Evansville recommends that families complete the FAFSA by March 1 in order to receive a timely response from colleges. However, this is crucial for Indiana residents, as their FAFSAs must be received by the federal processor no later than March 10 to be considered for Indiana state grants. The state of Indiana strictly enforces this deadline.
The University of Evansville recommends that you first complete the paper "FAFSA on the Web Worksheet" to aid in accuracy. You can obtain the worksheet from the FAFSA website at www.fafsa.ed.gov. After you have completed the worksheet, return to the site to file your FAFSA. The University of Evansville's school code for the FAFSA is 001795.
The student and one parent must create a PIN, to serve as an electronic signature and to make corrections to the FAFSA.
Watch for an acknowledgement or Student Aid Report (SAR) from Federal Student Aid programs. Review your SAR to see if your FAFSA data has been entered correctly. If errors are found, follow the instructions to make corrections.
Wait for a financial aid package from each college you listed on your FAFSA. Each college's aid package will likely be unique.
Compare your out-of-pocket costs (college's cost less the financial aid offered) for each college. You may discover that private college's out-of-pocket costs are reduced dramatically after deducting your financial aid!
