Financial Aid offers FAFSA tips

Attention: All students at UTM, now is the time to do your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, better known as the FAFSA.  

If you wish to receive any type of federal or state aid to assist you in paying for college, now is the time to go online and get it done. It's extremely important for students to fill out the FAFSA and apply for financial aid early.  

"By applying early, the students will be considered for the campus-based aid such as SEOG, the Perkins Loan, and Federal Work Study. The state grant (TSAC) has limited funds as well, and they are awarded until the funds run out. We suggest students apply by Feb. 1 each year," said Sheryl Frazier, Interim Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.  

When filling out the FAFSA, students should read and fill out the needed information correctly and thoroughly.  

This will help to minimize and reduce mistakes on the FAFSA form.  

According to Sheryl Frazier in Financial Aid, the No. 1 mistake that is found at UTM is that a student or parent enters the wrong Social Security number.

In order to prevent this from happening, when filing the FAFSA, students should have their parents' Social Security cards as well as their own to ensure that the number on the Social Security card matches the number that is entered on the FAFSA.  

If there are any questions about the FAFSA, call or visit the Financial Aid Office, which is located in the Business Administration Building, or go to the FAFSA web site.

This year, there are not any major changes on the FAFSA.  If a student is selected to have verification, a copy of an IRS transcript from the individual or the parents is required instead of turning in their 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ.  

If a student or parent listed that they received food stamps or paid child support, proof of documentation will be required.  There is not a strict deadline for completing the FAFSA.  

Students can complete the FAFSA at any time during the year, but the sooner it's completed, the better. Procrastination only raises the risk of missing out on possible free money and creating a hold-up in receiving awards in a timely manner.

FAFSA for the Tennessee HOPE Lottery Scholarships must be completed by Sept. 1 for the fall semester and Feb. 1 for the spring semester.  

At UTM, some departments have applications for their department only, so be sure to check your department and find out before the deadline hits.  

Another important thing to remember is students should  never pay for filling out the FAFSA.

There is also plenty of information on the UTM Financial Aid web page regarding different types of financial aid.

Students can go to www.FAFSA.gov to apply for the FAFSA as well as apply for and find information about applying for additional financial aid for school.