welcome

January 13th Lecture 2University of Washington Dream project

2WelcomeRachael Shermanshermanr@uw.edu(425) 753-7572Office Hours: 11:30-12:30 Fridays

Kelly Marlowkellym15@uw.edu(206) 799-6653Office Hours: 10:30-11:20 WednesdaysBothKelly - Talk about class logistics with computers/ phones3How were your visits?

If you couldnt go, what are you looking forward to or nervous about for this week?Check-inRachael4Tell your friends to sign-up for DPLike FB pageTax flyerPipelines Literacy Arts Alternative Spring Break Deadline Friday, 1/17 at 11:45PM!Leadership and EducationDP and Pipeline in Career Center 5:30-7:30, Free Pizza!

announcementsRachaelExpose undergrads to different education pathways after graduationeducation panel (who?)5:30-6= logistics, then 6:15-7= education people sharing their stories than the rest is networking and answering questions

5DP Gear and buy your workbooksNO CLASS next week W-CreditInternational SeminarIdeologies about other countrys school systems and how it compares to the USDifferent ways to communicate with mentees

CLASSKelly6FAFSA Workshop 6:30-8:00pm (MGH 430)New Mentor Workshop - talk to NicoleSign-up for CGWScholarship Saturday (s2)

eventsKelly7Scholarship Saturday!University of Washington Dream ProjectWhat? Scholarship Saturday is an event that mentees can attend to work on scholarships, finishing the FAFSA, and finding other ways to pay for college. S-Squared counts as one event credit. Who? The mentees! *Its encouraged you come only if your mentee is attending. When? February 1st, 2014 12:30 PM 5:30 PM (mentors) 1:00 PM 5:00 PM (mentees)Where? Mary Gates HallSnacks will be provided.RSVP on DreamSIS (https://dreamsis.org/rsvp/event/1552). Questions or concerns? Alyssa: hatsukami@gmail.comCharlene: chsia@uw.eduWill: wkittel@uw.eduBeing Reflective of our own IdentitiesLearning, filtering, and relaying informationGiving and Receiving feedbackKnowing your impact (empowering and accountability)Practicing student-centered mentoringActing sustainablyHigh expectations with patienceSupporting not driving

Mentor toolboxBothExamples of how to be an effective mentorAdd in draft9As Tiffany talks, find ways the FAFSA might connect to the toolbox.

Write your examples down on a piece of paper and turn them into your HSLsReflection questionRachaelIntroduce Tiffany! 10UNDERSTANDING THE FAFSA FORMFAFSA 101

11**For professionals, replace you with students throughout the script.

Thanks for joining us for our FAFSA 101 workshop. This is the 1st part of our FAFSA series workshops. Today were going to cover the basics of the FAFSA and how to file your FAFSA initially. Our FAFSA 201 workshop will go beyond this and cover what to expect and do after you initially file, including making corrections and updates to the FAFSA, responding to special circumstances and what comes next in the financial aid process.

AgendaWere going to start out with a quick overview of financial aid. Then well start discussing the FAFSA:*What is it and where does it fit into the financial aid process?*What do you need to do to prepare for it?*How do you complete the FAFSA?*What should you expect and do after the FAFSA?13Low/NoLowHighHighCOSTAVAILABILITYGrants (Government)*Need-based*Available to everyone*On financial aid award letterFinancial Aid OverviewFirst, a financial aid overview. Financial aid includes any funds awarded to a student to pay for their college education. This includes scholarships, grants, work study and loans.*Scholarships are free money from organizations, individuals, businesses and schools. Many scholarships are available for all students regardless of need, merit or their eligibility for government aid.*Grants are free money typically from the federal or state government. They are usually need-based.*Work Study is money that is set aside for students earn by working in certain jobs. Work study can be issued by the federal or state government and/or the college you attend and is awarded based on need.*Loans include money leant to a student that must be paid back + interest. The federal government issues loans to eligible students. Some are based on need and others are open to any eligible person regardless of need. Banks and other financial institutions also offer loans to students, usually with more interest and fewer options for repayment.(CLICK) For more information on different kinds of financial aid, you can participate in our Paying for College and Student Loans workshops.14Financial Aid Overview

Paying for College

Family Financing

=Financial aid is used in combination with family resources to pay for college. Your personal situation, including available family resources, eligibility for different kinds of aid and how much you earn in scholarships will determine what proportion of your college education is paid for by which type of aid. (CLICK) Everyones pie will look different and your pie may change from year-to-year. For that reason, its important to go through the process of applying for financial aid every year you are in college.

15Financial Aid OverviewFinancial Aid Process Overview

In order to access financial aid, there are several steps you will have to take each year you attend college.To receive a financial aid offer from a school, you must apply and be accepted to that school. Youll only apply and be accepted to a school once. However, in order to access federal and state financial aid including grants, work study and loans, you must file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for every year you attend college. Each school you apply to may also have its own set of financial aid documentation requirements that you will need to submit in order to access financial aid each year. These documents might be as simple as an information sheet or as involved as completing the CSS profile. The CSS profile asks detailed questions about your family resources and is required by a few private schools.Once youve been accepted into a school, completed the FAFSA process and your schools financial aid documents, your school will send you a financial aid award letter outlining the aid you are being offered to attend that school. Youll have to respond to the financial aid award letter and accept the offer to attend the school. The national reply date for most four-year schools is May 1st. If you take out a government loan, youll have to complete an additional process before you receive your financial aid award.While this financial aid process itself is pretty straightforward, there are a lot of details involved in each step of the process that are important to understand. (CLICK) Since the FAFSA is a big part of this process, that is what we are going to focus on in this workshop.16AgendaNow for an intro to the FAFSA17Intro to the FAFSAFAFSA is used by all accredited public and private colleges to determine a students need for federal student aid including grants, work study and federal loans. It is also used to determine eligibility for state and school aid.

The information you enter on the FAFSA will generate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This number is meant to represent how much money your family should be able to contribute out-of-pocket toward your college expenses. Your EFC is used to determine your eligibility for certain types of need-based aid as well as how much aid you may be able to receive.

The FAFSA is FREE to file at fafsa.gov. There are paid sites like fafsa.com that charge you to file (much like a paid tax-filing service). With integrated site help and live support as well as College Goal Sunday events throughout the state, there is no need to pay to file the FAFSA.

You must file the FAFSA annually. Changes in your financial situation, the amount of available funds, and eligibility requirements for different types of aid mean that youll have to file annually to be considered for government and school aid.

You only need to file one FAFSA a year even if you are applying to multiple schools.18AgendaNext well talk about what youll need to do to prepare to file the FAFSA19Preparing to File the FAFSA

The FAFSA process is a three-pronged process that begins with preparing to file. (CLICK)

The first step in your preparations is to apply for FAFSA personal identification number (PIN).20Apply for a PIN

FAFSA year 1FAFSA year 2FAFSA year 3FAFSA year 4A four-number personal identification number (PIN) is needed to sign the FAFSA electronically. Everyone who signs the FAFSA electronically will need their own PIN whether you are a student or a parent of a dependent student.

You have the same PIN for life whether you are a student/parent. So, as a student, youll use the same PIN to electronically sign all of the FAFSAs you will complete during your college career. Years from now, when your kids are going to college, youll use your same PIN to sign their FAFSAs.

For parents, youll also have just one PIN for yourself. If you have 10 kids, youll use the same PIN to sign all of their FAFSAs. If you are going or will be going to college, youll use your same PIN to sign your own FAFSA.

Your FAFSA PIN is also what you will use to access your government student loan information online. So choose a number youll remember and keep in a safe and private place. If you feel your PIN has been compromised, you can choose to Change My PIN from the PIN homepage.21

pin.ed.govYou can apply for a PIN at pin.ed.gov.There are links to the PIN site throughout the fafsa.gov website in case you dont apply for a PIN prior to filing or in case you need a reminder of your PIN.(CLICK) Theres a link to the PIN site on the fafsa.gov homepage before you start your FAFSA and links on the FAFSA signature page after youre done.22What youll need:Social Security NumberFull nameDate of birthMailing addressEmail addressChallenge question answer

Apply for a PIN

PIN site optionsIn order to apply for a PIN, you will need to provide certain information. Youll need to provide your social security number. Make sure all the information you enter is correct and matches your SSN card. If this information is incorrect or doesnt match what you enter on your FAFSA, you will not be able to sign your FAFSA with the PIN. If the PIN information turns out to be incorrect, youll have to apply for a new PIN. If the FAFSA information is incorrect, youll have to start a new FAFSA.You will need to provide your full name as it appears on your SSN card. If your name has changed since you were issued your SSN card, you will still use whatever name is listed on your current SSN card for your PIN and FAFSA applications. You can update your name with the Social Security Administration (SSA) for a new card, but you will also have to apply for a new PIN in that case. Keep in mind that all PIN and FAFSA information associated with your previous name and PIN will not transfer over to your new name and PIN. You will have to access any older information with your previous name and PIN.Youll enter your official date of birth.You will also enter your mailing address. The contact information that you enter here only applies to your PIN and does not connect to what you enter on your FAFSA. You can update this information by selecting Update My Personal Information on the PIN homepage.Entering your email address is optional but recommended for fast communication.If you forget your PIN, you can Request a Duplicate PIN which will remind you of your PIN after you correctly answer a challenge question. Choose to answer a question for which the answer will not change. Let me show you what I mean.23BEST CHALLENGE QUESTIONSCHALLENGE QUESTIONS TO AVOIDWhat is the name of the hospital where you were born?What city were you born in?What brand was your first car?What is your mothers maiden name?What was the name of your elementary school?What is your favorite pastime?What is the location of your dream vacation?What is your favorite TV show?What is your favorite color?Apply for a PIN Here are examples of challenge questions you may answer. The questions on the left have answers that will not change over time. For example: What city were you born in? What is your mothers maiden name? These are the best questions to answer to make sure that you will always remember your answer. The questions on the right have answers that may change over time or have multiple answers. For example, you may have attended multiple elementary schools or have a different favorite TV show every week. You may want to avoid these questions.24Things you should know:You must have a Social Security NumberPINs are usually available to use immediatelyMake sure the information is correctYou may need helpChat through fafsa.govCall 800-4-FED-AID

Student with undocumented parent can only apply for a pin themselves; parent will have to print and submit signature page.Apply for a PIN

PIN site optionsHere are some other things you should know about applying for a PIN.You must have a SSN to apply for a PIN and file your FAFSA. If your parent doesnt have a SSN, they cannot receive a PIN, but can still sign your FAFSA by printing out a signature page and mailing it in. That option is available on the final page of the FAFSA and takes a few days to process.PINs are usually available to use immediately. On rare occasions your PIN may not be activated for up to 3 days as your information is confirmed with the SSA. If this happens, you wont be able to sign your FAFSA with your PIN until your information has been confirmed. If youre ready to sign your FAFSA, save it and check back for up to 3 days until you are able to use your PIN to sign. You can Check PIN Status from the PIN homepage. You can avoid this by applying for your PIN at least 3 days before you file your FAFSA.Make sure your information is correct. As mentioned before, if the information you entered is incorrect or doesnt match your identifying information on the FAFSA, youll have to correct the discrepancy which may mean either applying for a new PIN or starting a new FAFSA (depending on which one is incorrect).You may need to contact FAFSA support if a complication arises with your PIN application. For example, if someone else has used your SSN to apply for a PIN, you will not be able to apply for a PIN without help from customer support. They will ask you to answer a few questions to verify your identity and then be able to reset your status so you can apply for a PIN with your correct information. Using a live customer service feature is the most effective for this. Email requests are also available through the PIN website, but take longer and may require a few exchanges before the problem is resolved. Using the live chat feature (not available through the PIN website, but through the fafsa.gov website) or calling customer service at 1-800-4-FED-AID is the fastest and most direct way to resolve this problem.25Preparing to File the FAFSA

As you prepare to file the FAFSA, youll also want to make sure you have the gathered the documents youll need in order to file the FAFSAGather DocumentsIncome records: most current tax return, or W-2s or paystubsBank statementsChild support statementsTANF or welfare informationFamily business informationReal estate, stock or bond investment records you may haveAny untaxed income recordsif you have oneSocial Security Card, Green Card or Permanent Resident CardoptionalDrivers license

The FAFSA will ask for information on income and assets for you and your parent(s) (if you are dependent). You can file the FAFSA initially with estimates and make corrections and/or updates after you have filed your taxes and have final numbers.Documents that may be helpful in answering these questions include your most current tax return. If youve already filed your taxes when you file your FAFSA initially (rare), use the current years tax return. If you havent already filed your taxes when its time to file your FAFSA (most common), use last years tax return to estimate amounts if your financial situation hasnt changed much.

Things such as bank statements, child support statements, pay stubs or w-2s in the absence of tax documents, TANF or welfare information, information on a family business and so on.

Remember that if you are dependent, you will need to gather this information for you and your parent(s).

In addition to tax and financial documents, you will need to gather personal identification information to be ready to file.

For students this means a social security card and alien registration # (for eligible non-citizens). Eligible non-citizens should bring their green card or permanent resident card. Parents of dependent students will also need a social security number or alien registration # if they have these. Well go over what to do if the parent does not have these. If your parent doesnt have a SSN or alien registration #, they can still sign your FAFSA. However, if you do not have a SSN or alien registration #, you are not eligible to file a FAFSA. If that applies to you, Id like to encourage you to participate in our Scholarship Strategies workshop that focuses on how you can access scholarships to help you pay for college. 27Preparing to File the FAFSA

Once youve applied for a PIN and gathered your documents, you are ready to file. The FAFSA opens every year on January 1st for the next academic year. Ex: The FAFSA for the 2013-2014 school year opens January 1st, 2013.

You may not access the FAFSA for the next academic year until it opens. You should make a plan to file early in order to have the most funds available to you. Colleges put together financial aid packages in the order they receive FAFSA and financial aid information. When you file your FAFSA, it marks your place in line to receive aid. The earlier you file, the bigger the pot of money is when your package is put together. Filing by your schools financial aid deadline ensures you can receive the most aid available to you. Every school has its own financial aid deadline. If you are applying to multiple schools, file the FAFSA by the earliest deadline.

You may actually file the FAFSA starting January 1st through the next school year (an 18-month window). Its better to file late than never. However, if you wait too long, aid may be depleted and some aid may be unavailable by the time you file.

College Bound Scholarship recipients should make a goal to file initially by Feb 1st. This is a good general goal for all students. Remember that you will file the FAFSA every year you are in college.AgendaNo were going to go over the FAFSA line-by-line so you understand how its organized, know what to expect and what to do if you have questions.29FAFSARoadmapYES, to ANY one questionNO, to ALL questions.FAFSA STARTStudent Legal Name SSN or Alien Registration #Date of BirthRENEWMAKE CORRECTIONSSTUDENT INFORMATIONNEW 2014-15HIGH SCHOOLCOLLEGESList up to 10 colleges

DEPENDENCY STATUSBorn before Jan. 1, 1992

Married

Working on Masters or Doctorate Degree

Have children that you financially support

Veteran or Currently serving in the US Armed Services

Since the age of 13, both parents were deceased, you were/are in foster care or ward of the court

Emancipated Minor

Have a legal Guardian

On or after July 1, 2011, were homeless or at risk of being homelessPARENT(S) FINANCIAL INFORMATIONPARENT DEMOGRAPHIC INFO: Father or MotherMarried/ Remarried/living togetherBOTH PARENTS DEMOGRAPHIC INFOFather/Step-fatherMother/Step-motherPARENT INFORMATIONDivorced, Separated, Widowed SIGNATUREStudent PIN &Parent PINSTUDENT FINANCIAL INFORMATIONSIGNATUREStudent PIN As context, here is a roadmap of how the FAFSA is organized. When you login to your FAFSA, you will be presented with 1 of 3 options (POINT) depending on where you are in the FAFSA process. If you are filing a FAFSA for the first time, youll be prompted to start a new FAFSA. If youve started, but havent submitted your FAFSA, youll be given the option to continue your FAFSA. If youve filed a FAFSA from a previous year, youll be given the option to either start a new FAFSA or renew a FAFSA from a previous year. Choosing to renew would allow you to transfer some information from a previously filed FAFSA to a new FAFSA. If youve already filed your FAFSA, youll be given the option to make corrections to your FAFSA. We go over this option in more detail in our FAFSA 201 workshop. After you choose the appropriate option, youll start by entering student information, including contact and demographic information. Youll be asked to enter information about the HS you graduated (or will have graduated from) and also select up to 10 colleges to which you would like your FAFSA results sent to in order to be considered for financial aid at each school.Next, youll answer a set of questions that will determine your dependency status. If you answer YES to any of the questions, youll be considered independent and will have the option of bypassing parental information and will skip straight to entering your financial information. Independent status is uncommon for most undergrads. Most undergraduates students are considered dependent. In our FAFSA 201 workshop we go over exceptions to this, but the most common scenario for undergraduate students is that they are considered dependent and must provide parental information. Which parent/parents you enter information for depends on their marital status. If your parents are currently married or if the parent you live with the most is remarried, youll enter information for both parents in the marriage (including your step parent). If your parents are divorced or separated, youll entered information for just the parent you live with most. If your parent is single or widowed, youll enter information for just that parent. This information includes basic demographic information as well as financial information pertaining to income and assets.Youll also enter your own financial information.After all of the information has been entered, youll sign the FAFSA with your PIN. If you are dependent, one of the parents you entered information for will also have to sign your FAFSA with their own PIN. After that, your FAFSA is ready to be submitted.30

www.fafsa.govTo get started with your FAFSA, go to fafsa.gov. Make sure that you are at fafsa.gov and not at fafsa.com. Fafsa.gov is the official FAFSA page where you can get customer support and file securely for free. If you go to fafsa.com, you will have to pay to file your FAFSA.

This is the same page youll come to any time you need to start, continue, renew, make corrections or view your FAFSA results. Each time, youll come here to fafsa.gov and click on the big Start Here button.31Login Page

After clicking on the big Start Here button. Youll be taken into a login page where you will enter your name, social security number and date of birth. It is really important that you enter your information exactly as it appears on your social security card and exactly as you entered it when you registered for your PIN. If you login and start a FAFSA with incorrect information, you will have to start to start over completely with your correct information as your PIN and FAFSA information wont match and you wont be able to sign and complete your FAFSA. So make sure to double check all of the information you enter here. The information you enter on this login page is the only information on the FAFSA that you cannot go back and correct once you start.

A few other things I want to point out on this first page that youll see throughout the FAFSA. First youll notice the blue STUDENT bar to the left (CLICK). Anytime the FAFSA is asking for information about the student, youll see this blue STUDENT bar to the left. When the FAFSA is asking for parent information, the color will change to purple and the bar will read PARENT. If you are unsure or forget whose information is being asked for, just look left.

I also want to point out the integrated support features that appear through the FAFSA. Youll see (CLICK) the instructions here that introduce those support features. The first of these integrated features is the Help and Hints section to the right of the screen (CLICK). This section is dynamic and will change as you move through the FAFSA to give you information on how to answer each question. As you click in each answer field, the Help and Hints section will provide information for that specific question.

If you need additional help after that, every page of the FAFSA will also have the option to get help from a real person by either clicking Need Help? or Contact Us 32FAFSA Support

If you click on the Need Help? or Contact Us button, youll be given directions for seeking additional help including live help over the phone or via chat. You can also receive help after hours through email correspondence.33My FAFSA Welcome Page

After logging in, youll be taken to a welcome page where youll have the option to start your FAFSA. Notice (CLICK) that this welcome page will let you know the status of your PIN. In this example, the student did not submit a PIN application before starting her FAFSA. Shell have to do that before she can sign and submit the FAFSA.

Remember, if youve started your FAFSA, but not yet submitted it (CLICK), youll be given the option to continue or start over. If youve already filed your FAFSA and need to make corrections or other actions need to be taken, those options will be presented here. We go over those options more in our FAFSA 201 workshop.

Here you can see that if youve filed a FAFSA in previous years, a tab for each filed FAFSA will appear (CLICK) across the top of your welcome page. Make sure you are on the tab of the FAFSA you would like to work on or view. Since this workshop starts from the beginning, lets show what it looks like (CLICK) to start a new FAFSA.34Password Page

After you choose to start your FAFSA, youll be asked to establish a password for the FAFSA you are filing. This password is specific to the FAFSA you are currently working on and must meet the criteria outlined in the Help and Hints bar. Your password iserves a different function than your PIN (although you could use the same number if you choose to). This can get a little confusing because you have to provide login information, a password and a PIN at different times in the FAFSA process. So let me try to make it a little easier to grasp35Login v. Password v. Pin

FAFSA year 1FAFSA year 2FAFSA year 3Login

Password 1Password 2Password 3The login (where you enter your name, SSN and birthday) is the gatekeeper of all of your FAFSAs. It identifies you as you at the start. In order to start, view or edit any of your FAFSAs, youll have to first login.

The PIN, we already talked about. Each person will have one PIN and it will verify that you are the person you say you are and let you sign your FAFSA at the end.

While each person will have only one PIN, each individual FAFSA will have its own password that will let you work on that specific FAFSA. You choose all of your passwords. Some people choose to simplify by defining all of their passwords as the same thing and others choose different passwords for each FAFSA. Either way, its important to keep all of these numbers in a safe place.36Introduction Page

Once you establish your password, youll be directed to this page. You dont have to take any actions here. Its just a good starting point for reference if you have general questions about the FAFSA and the filing process.

Youll notice that at the top of the page in grey (CLICK) you can see the different sections of the FAFSA. As you progress through the FAFSA, the section you are on will be highlighted.

Once you click NEXT youll begin the FAFSA.37Student Demographics

The first set of questions youll be asked are about student demographics. You may see on this screen that the social security number displayed here is grayed out. That is because you cannot change your SSN at this point. It had to be correct when you logged in. Again, make sure you double check your login information is correct. The name and birthday are automatically entered based on your login as well.(CLICK) Youll answer a question about your gender. This question can be easy to miss as it is tucked away, but its important that you answer it. Your gender has no bearing on your eligibility to receive aid, but if you are male, youll be asked on the next page if you have registered for the selective service. If you havent, it will prompt you to do so now while youre in the FAFSA filing stage. If you are male, you must register in order to complete the FAFSA. (CLICK) Youll then enter contact information. Make sure that you enter information your permanent contact information and an email address that you check frequently. Youll be sent important information on the status of your FAFSA to the email address you provide. Youll indicate your marital status and provide a drivers license number if you have one. Every time you hit next, FAFSA will check the page to see if you left any required fields blank and let you know if you did. When you advance to the next section (outlined by the top navigation bar), FAFSA will save your work up until that point. If you need to stop your FAFSA at anytime in the middle of a section, make sure that you hit the save button (CLICK) at the bottom of the page so you can continue where you left off next time. 38Eligibility for Financial Aid

On the next page in the Student Demographics section, youll be asked questions that will determine your eligibility for federal aid. You have to be a US citizen or eligible non-citizen in order to complete the FAFSA and be eligible for federal aid. As you can see to the right in the Help and Hints section, it outlines who is an eligible non-citizen. Eligible non-citizens include U.S. permanent residents with a Permanent Resident Card, conditional permanent residents or noncitizens classified as refugees, those having asylum granted, those who are on indefinite or humanitarian parole and other situations outlined in the Help and Hints section. If you are not a US citizen or eligible noncitizen, you are not eligible for government aid, but may still be eligible for many scholarships and school-based aid. (CLICK) You can participate in our Winning Scholarship Strategies workshop to learn more about that. Remember if you are a male US citizen, youll be prompted to answer the question about Selective Service.Youll next answer questions about your school status including what program you are going to be starting. You have to have already graduated high school or be on track to graduate high school in order to be eligible for federal aid. Youll be asked about your grade level, specifically how much college you have completed. If you are a brand new college freshman, youll select that you are a 1st year student who has never attended college. Keep in mind that Running Start students are considered 1st year students who have attended college. Youll also be asked about the degree or certificate you will be working on during the academic year for which are applying for aid. Youll be able to indicate:if you are going to a school to get a bachelors degree at a 4-year schoolif you are going to a vocational school or occupational trainingif you are going to a 2-year school and plan on transferring after thatOr if you are going to a graduate programKeep in mind that if you are applying to both 2 and 4 year programs, indicate that you are going to a 4-year and change your answer later if that is not the case. Community Colleges create financial aid packages later than 4-year schools. So if there is a chance you are going to be attending a 4-year school, indicate that so they have the heads up to prepare a package for you.Youll be asked if you would like to be considered for work-study. It never hurts to be considered for this type of aid to open up your options for non-loan aid. To learn more about different kinds of financial aid, you can participate in our Paying for College workshop.On the questions that ask about your mother and fathers highest level of education, this is the only place on the FAFSA where they are asking specifically for biological parents. Later, when they ask information on parents, theyre asking about the people who have legal guardianship and financial responsibility over you. Here they are asking specifically for biological parents. 39

High School InformationYoull be asked .to enter the name of your high school. As a point of advice, I would not enter the name of the school here, but enter the city and state first and hit confirm. Once you do that, it will generate a list of schools that you can choose from to confirm. The reason I recommend not entering your school right away in this search is because if your school is listed as Garfield High or HS instead of Garfield High School in the database, it may not come up as an option. So leaving the school name blank and choosing from the generated options that come up with city and state guarantees that youll find your school.If your school is in a foreign country, go ahead and put the name and city and then in the state field, select FOREIGN COUNTRY.40School Selection

After you hit next on the previous page, you can see that the FAFSA used the information you entered to determine that you are eligible. Youll also see that (CLICK) your information was saved automatically since you just finished the Student Demographics section and are now in the School Selection section. (CLICK) Take a look up at the navigation bar at the top of the page. Youll notice that the School Selection is now highlighted letting us know we are working on that section. Youll also notice, that the previous section is now underlined in red and the letters are not grayed out like the sections we havent yet started. Now that Ive already finished the first section, I can click on it on the top navigation bar to quickly to go that section if I want to. Whenever you finish a section, youll have the option of quickly navigating to that section rather than going page by page using the previous and next buttons at the bottom of the page. Whenever you navigate between sections, just remember to hit save before you go back or skip forward.Now youre going to indicate which colleges you would like your financial records sent to. You should select all schools youre applying to. The FAFSA has room to accommodate up to 10 schools. If you have more than 10 schools you are applying to, you can always go back and change or update your school list. Generally speaking, if you are applying to more than 10 schools, you should prioritize 4-year schools over community colleges for the same reason we mentioned before: 4-year schools will be preparing their financial aid packages first and you should prioritize according to each schools financial aid deadline. In other words, if one school needs your FAFSA information before another, make sure that school is on your initial list of schools here. After youve filed the FAFSA, you financial records will be sent to the schools you indicate. After that, you can go back and add more schools by replacing schools youve already selected with new ones. Once your initially listed schools have gotten your records, thats ok.If you know your Federal School Codes, you can enter them in this box. Most students dont come to the FAFSA quite that prepared, so Ill show you how to search for your schools. Similar to the HS search, you can start by entering the state of the school you want to apply to and hitting Search.41Adding Colleges

Once you get the list of possible schools according to your search parameters, check the box next to the school or schools youre applying to and then click ADD. This will move the schools from the search results column on the left to the Selected Schools column on the right.42College Housing Plans

For each school that you select, youll have to enter a housing plan option (on campus, off campus, or with parents). This is one factor each school will use to help determine your need. For example youll have greater need if you live on campus because it is more expensive. Dont think that you can say youll live on campus so you can be considered needier and then actually live off campus to save money. All of this information will be confirmed. If you are unsure what youre going to do, you can put that you are going to live on campus for now and change it once you know for sure. Keep in mind that you will need to be familiar with the housing options that are available at each school you apply to as the FAFSA will present you with all 3 options whether or not those options actually exist for a particular school. For example, even though the FAFSA gives you the option to choose to live On Campus at Bellevue College, Bellevue College doesnt have on-campus housing.43Dependency Status

Now we move on to the questions about dependency status.

There are several triggers that will automatically make you independent and these questions are designed to determine if you meet any of those triggers. For example, if you are 24 or older, you are automatically considered independent. If you are married, you are also automatically independent. If you answer YES to any of these dependency questions, the screen will change and additional questions will appear that will attempt to clarify your situation. So if you answer YES to any of these questions, youll have to provide these additional answers and possibly other documentation to the schools youre applying to in addition to the FAFSA. For example, if you indicate that you have dependents who live with you, another question will appear that will ask you about the number of people are in your household.

If you are determined independent, youll have the option of bypassing the parental information and just entering your financial information.

As you continue to click no through the questions on this screen, additional questions will appear on the bottom of the page.44Dependency Status Cont.

Here are the additional questions you will be asked if you continue to answer NO. If you answer NO to all of the questions, you will be considered dependent and youll then be prompted to answer questions about your parents.

Note that being an emancipated minor or in legal guardianship (POINT) is something that must be determined by a court in your state of residence. Its a legal determination. Similarly, homelessness or risk of homelessness is a condition that must be documented and confirmed by a school or district homeless liaison or other authorized person. If you answer NO to all of these questions, but still feel you should be considered independent because of a special circumstance, you may be able to petition each school youre applying to by completing a dependency override process. However, if you can confirm that you are independent through another route, that is preferable since the dependency override process can involve lengthy documentation and, at the end, the school isnt required to grant you independent status. This may leave you only eligible for unsubsidized loans. We go into these special circumstances in greater details in our FAFSA 201 workshop. 45Dependency Status Results

Since most undergraduates are considered dependent, were going to walk through what it looks like for someone to file as a dependent student. After answering all of the Dependency Status questions, youll be taken to a page that shows the results of those questions that determine eligibility. If youre determined to be a dependent student, you will see this screen. You will indicate that you will provide parental information on the following pages. If you dont know off-hand all of the information needed to answer the parent questions. Thats ok. You will still indicate that you will provide parental information, fill in the answers with estimates and update your FAFSA with your parents information once you have it.

If you cannot provide parent information because of a special circumstance, you will select that you are unable to provide parental information. FAFSA will allow you to move through the application and submit it with only your information, BUT it will reject your application from the FAFSA system, and you will need to contact the financial aid office at the colleges you wish to attend to receive their help in fixing the reject status on a college-by-college basis.

Please answer this question thoughtfully. If you select that you are unable to provide parental information because your parents are difficult to contact or they refuse to give it to you or if they dont provide for you financially, youll have to go through the lengthy dependency override process with EACH school you apply to. Each school has a different process and most require several letters and documents of verification indicating that you are in fact an independent student. IF you cannot verify this satisfactorily and within a timely manner, the school can opt to reject your FAFSA which would limit your eligibility for many kinds of aid. If youre independent, youll see a slightly different screen, but you will STILL be asked if youd like to provide parent information. If youre independent you dont have to. That question is there for independent students because, for example, some medical schools require parent information from every student. But if youre independent, you can choose not to answer questions about your parents and your FAFSA will process fine.46Special circumstances-That were not included/legally verifiableParents unwillingness to support is not a justifiable reason to be considered independentRemember: a student with an undocumented parent CAN complete the FAFSA and will enter 9s for SSN may get error message up to three times.

Parent Demographics

Now weve come to the Parent Demographics section. Youll notice that now the left bar says PARENT and the page headings are purple. This is how we know that information we enter here is about the parent or parents.

After you indicate your parents marital status, an additional question will appear (CLICK) asking you which parent you will be entering information for. Fields will appear to enter identifying information for the parent(s) you indicated. Just as you did with your own information, double check the accuracy of the identifying information. This information will be used to match your parent with their PIN so they can sign your FAFSA electronically. If your parent doesnt have a SSN, enter all zeros in that field. Remember that you need a SSN to complete the FAFSA, but your parent does not. You may have to click next a couple of times to verify that you did mean to enter all zeros in that field.

Notice there a place to enter your parents email so they can receive emails from FAFSA as well. Its always a good idea to keep parents informed.

Youll also answer questions about your parents household.48Parent InformationIF YOUR PARENT(S) ARETHEN ENTER INFORMATION FORMARRIEDBOTH PARENTSREMARRIEDTHE PARENT (AND STEP PARENT) YOU LIVE WITH MOSTSINGLE OR WIDOWEDTHE SINGLE OR SURVIVING PARENTDIVORCED OR SEPARATEDTHE PARENT YOU LIVE WITH MOSTUNMARRIED AND LIVING TOGETHERBOTH BIOLOGICAL OR ADOPTIVE PARENTSNow were ready to enter information about your parent or parents. Sometimes, it can be confusing which parent(s) to enter information for. Basically, youll enter the information for the parent you live with most. If that parent is married, youll enter information for their spouse as well (even if it is a step parent). So if your parents are married, youll enter information for both parents. If your parents are divorced, but the parent you live with most is remarried, youll enter information for your parent and your step parent. If your parents are divorced or separated, youll enter information for the parent you live with most and if your parent is single or widowed, youll enter information for the single or surviving parent.

Keep in mind that how much support you may or may not be getting from these people is not in question. This is just a guideline of whose information you must provide depending on your situation. 49

Financial InformationWill fileThe amounts entered will be estimatesAlready completedThe amounts entered will be finalWill not fileThe amounts entered may have to be verified through other documentationNow you can see that weve moved on to the Financial Information section. You can also see that we are currently answering questions about the parent. You will answer the exact same questions about yourself after youve answered all of the financial questions about your parents. Youll first be asked if your parents completed the previous years income tax return. This screen shot is outdated in terms of the tax year that it is asking about, but thats the only difference between this screen shot and the what the current FAFSA looks like. Just remember the tax information you enter will be for the previous calendar year.

You have three options for this question (CLICK). You can indicate that your parents will, have already completed or will not be filing their taxes. If you indicate that your parents will file, the FAFSA will know that they amounts you enter are estimates and youll be expected to make corrections after your parents taxes have been filed in order for your FAFSA process to be complete. It is totally fine to file with estimates and the FAFSA even provides tools to help you estimate. Remember that when you file your FAFSA initially, even if you file with estimates, this puts you in line to receive funds. The sooner you file, the more aid is available to you.

If you indicate that your parents already completed their taxes, the FAFSA will expect that the amounts you enter will be final. You can pull tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. The FAFSA website will actually walk you through that process. This is the fastest and most accurate way to enter your tax information and you wont have to provide additional documentation about your taxes if youre asked to selected for verification of your FAFSA information if you use the Data Retrieval Tool. Keep in mind that for using the DRT, its best to file taxes electronically. Filing taxes electronically makes them available faster for you to transfer the tax information. Theyre usually ready in 1-2 weeks as opposed to 6-8 weeks if you or you file by paper. Since financial aid deadlines are at play, any time you save is helpful. We go into more detail about using the IRS DRT in our FAFSA 201 workshop.

If you indicate that your parents will not file taxes, youll still have to provide information about your parents finances. You can use paystubs or w-2s to get this information. If youre chosen for verification, the amounts entered will have to be verified by each school you apply to.50Tax Information

Remember if you use the IRS DRT, this tax information will be filled in for you. However, since we encourage students to file their initial FAFSAs early, you probably wont have your taxes completed by the time you file initially. So Ill show you what it looks like to file with estimates. If your parents financial situation hasnt really changed much since last year, you can use the previous years tax return to estimate what this years will be. You can also use the integrated Income Estimator. If you click on the Income Estimator, it will ask questions (CLICK) that will help you estimate your income. That information will give you an idea of what your expected family contribution to schools costs will be. Try to be as accurate as possible so you have the most realistic view of what you may be offered by the school and can plan accordingly. It wont get you any more aid to say that you only made $10 in income if you actually made $10,000 since everything will have to be confirmed once your taxes are filed. The income estimator will really just help you by generating an estimated EFC for you to plan from.51Federal Means Test

Keep in mind that in this financial information section, the information you enter will determine which questions you have to answer.

For example, you may also be asked if anyone in your family received benefits from a list of programs (READ). If you click yes to one of these questions, youll be asked if youd like to skip to the end. The reason this happens is because with all of these programs, your family has already completed an application process and been found eligible to receive these need-based resources. If you are eligible to receive these resources, you are automatically eligible for need-based financial aid and can skip further questions that try to determine that.

If no one in your family has received benefits from one of these programs, youll have a few additional questions to answer.52Additional Financial Information

You may be asked about additional financial information that may have applied to your parents during the last year. If any of these things apply, youll check the box and an additional field will appear for you to enter the applicable amount for the last year. 53Untaxed Income

You may also be asked to indicate if your parents received any untaxed income even if this amount was not reported on their taxes. You can see that if you select any of the items, another field will appear for you to enter the appropriate amounts for the previous year.54AssetsCash, savings, checking accountsInvestmentsReal estate, trust funds, stocks, CD, special minor accounts, money market funds, securities, commodities, college savings plans (529 college savings/prepaid tuition plans), mutual funds, bonds, etcParent Assets

You may be asked about parent assets as of today. If they are asking for current figures, it will say As of today. Different things count as assets and investments.

Assets include things like cash, savings, and checking accounts.

Investments include things like real estate (only real estate outside of your residence counts as an investment), trust funds, stocks, CD, UGMA/UTMA accounts, money market funds, other securities, installment and land sale contracts, commodities, college savings plans (529 college savings/prepaid tuition plans), mutual funds, bonds.

Investments Do NOT include: value of home you live in, life insurance, retirement plans (401[k] plans, pension funds, annuities, non-educational IRAs, etc.) 55Skip to the End?

You may be asked, as a result of the information youve entered, if youd like to skip the remaining questions. If this pops up, you can opt to skip questions.Remember, only skip questions if it gives you the option.

**If someone asks, about dislocated workers:A dislocated worker is defined by meeting at least one of the following:Lost their job or been laid offReceiving unemployment benefits and will probably not go back to previous jobUnemployed person who is self-employed because of natural disaster or economic situation.Someone who was a homemaker who is no longer being supported by partner and currently is unemployed.

If you quit, got fired or dont want to work, youre not considered dislocated56

In Case of an ErrorIf there is an obvious error that doesnt really compute, the FAFSA will let you know and give you a chance to correct it. For example, here the mothers income tax was listed as almost as much as her adjusted gross income. Keep in mind that the FAFSA will only detect certain types of errors. So you are responsible for double-checking your work and you shouldnt depend on the FAFSAs built in error check to find everything.

After you complete the parental financial information, youll be asked to answer questions about your own finances.57

Student Financial Information

This is where youll automatically go if you are an independent student and dont need to answer parent information. If you arent required to file taxes, youll still enter information about your income and assets. As I mentioned before, students will answer all of the same financial questions that were asked of the parents. Since the questions are the same, Im not going to go over the student financial information in further detail. After youre finished entering your financial information, youll be taken to the Sign & Submit section. 58Sign & Submit123

Now weve come to the end and all we have to do is sign. Youll notice that it took us a while to go through all of that information, but it should actually go a lot faster when youre filing yourself and you dont have me explaining everything. The more you are prepared up front with the information youll need, the smoother and faster it will go.I want to point out 3 main things on this page. (CLICK) First, when it asks if you are a preparer, it is really asking if you are someone who is being paid to prepare this FAFSA for someone else (similar to how you might pay someone to do your taxes). It is not asking if you were the person who prepared your FAFSA. So youll click NO.(CLICK) Second, its going to ask you (and your parent) how you want to sign. Your FAFSA will process faster if you sign electronically with a PIN. You can see that at this point if you forgot to apply for a pin you can do it now by clicking on apply for a PIN. In most cases, it will give let you use your PIN immediately and you can sign your FAFSA right away. In some rare cases, it may take up to 3 days before you can use your PIN. In these rare cases, I would still recommend you signing your FAFSA electronically (even though you wont be able to do it until as much as 3 days later when you can use your PIN). This is because it will still take more than 3 days for you to print a signature page, mail the signature page, have them receive and process the signature page and deem your FAFSA signed. However, if your parent is not eligible for a PIN and must sign with a signature page, that is totally fine. The last option to submit without signature really only applies if you cant sign electronically and dont have a printer to print out a signature page. If this applies to you, youll be sent your Student Aid Report with a summary of your FAFSA answers and your EFC in the mail. Youll have to sign and return this report as instructed. This process takes significantly longer so signing with a PIN is best if you can.(CLICK) Third and lastly, make sure to AGREE to the terms after you read them . If AGREE is not selected, you wont be able to sign and submit.59Confirmation Page1234

After you hit sign & submit, youll be directed to your confirmation page. Thats your cue that youve filed your FAFSA.

There are a couple of things I want to point out on this page. 1-(CLICK) If you are filing initially with tax estimates, the EFC given will be an estimate. The amounts listed to the right of your Estimated EFC are not guarantees or even estimates of what you will receive. They are examples of things you might be eligible for. 2-(CLICK) This confirmation page is different from the SAR as it doesnt give the line-by-line summary of your answers and contains different information. However, you can tell from this page if your FAFSA has been randomly selected to be verified. If there is an asterisk next to your EFC, youll have to complete the verification process for each college youve been accepted into if you want to receive a financial aid package from them. If your FAFSA is not randomly selected for verification, individual colleges may still opt to have you verify your information with them. Really quickly, Verification is similar to an auditing process where the college will ask you to submit certain documentation to verify the information youve entered on the FAFSA. Keep in mind that even though you file the FAFSA on the federal level, Verification happens on the school level. At least 1/3 of FAFSAs filed are randomly selected for verification. So its not uncommon and is not bad. It just means that youll have a few extra steps youll need to take to complete your FAFSA process. If you are selected, again you can know by looking for an asterisk by your EFC and/or your school will contact you. Its really helpful to know what your school may require from you in the event that you are selected for verification so you can have that ready. We go into this process in more detail in our FAFSA 201 workshop. Contact your financial aid office if you have questions about this.3-(CLICK) The third thing to notice on this page is if you have a brother or sister who needs to also complete a FAFSA, use the optional feature to begin their FAFSA from this page.4-(CLICK) This confirmation page will also list some very basic information about the colleges you listed on your FAFSA. This is just there for your information.60AgendaNow were going to go over what to expect after you file your FAFSA initially.61SPECIAL CIRCUMSTANCES

What Happens to your FAFSA Info

After you file the FAFSA, this is what will happen to the information you filed:(CLICK) A federal processor will use the information you filed to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). (CLICK) You will receive access to your Student Aid Report (SAR). Your SAR will indicate your EFC and also give you a line-by-line summary of your answers on the FAFSA. Notification will be sent to the email address you provided. You will have to log back into your FAFSA to see your SAR. (CLICK) The colleges that you indicated on the FAFSA will receive the results of your FAFSA as well. Theyll use that information to determine your award package.(CLICK) At that point the school will have access to the government aid they are offering you. However, there are still some important steps youll need to complete before you receive it.65Financial Aid OverviewFinancial Aid Process Overview

Remember that the FAFSA process is one piece of the Financial Aid Process. In order to complete the Financial Aid Process, youll need to make sure that you have submitted everything that is required of you. (CLICK) Make sure your admission applications are complete and submitted by the colleges deadline.(CLICK) After you file your FAFSA initially, make sure it is correct and complete. Make corrections and updates as needed. In order for your FAFSA to be correct and complete, youll have to do a few things.66Complete the FAFSA Process

COMPLETE FAFSA PROCESSCheck email oftenReview SARFile your taxes early!Complete Verification and/or Special Circumstance documentation

Check your email often for messages from your colleges and the Federal Processor regarding the status of your FAFSA. Once it is available, youll want to review your SAR. The SAR will indicate your EFC as well as show you a line-by-line break down of your answers to FAFSA questions. Make sure everything is complete and correct.

You should make a goal to file your taxes as soon as possible and update your FAFSA with your and your parents tax information. The sooner you have your taxes done, the sooner you can make your final FAFSA corrections and complete the FAFSA process. Again, our FAFSA 201 workshop goes over in detail how to make corrections and tax updates using the IRS Data Retrieval tool. Its the fastest and most accurate way to verify your tax information.

If you have an asterisk next to your EFC (as shown here), that means that you have been chosen for Verification. You will have to verify key information that you entered on the FAFSA with each school that you want to receive a financial aid award letter from. The schools youve been accepted to will contact you to let you know the steps to complete the Verification process. However, if you see that you have an asterisk next to your EFC on your SAR, you can save time by contacting them first and starting on that process. Your FAFSA wont be considered truly complete until your Verification documentation is submitted.

Additionally, if you have a special FAFSA circumstance, youll have to complete the proper documentation with each school in order for your FAFSA to be considered complete. Contact your schools Financial Aid Office if you have questions about what documentation you will need. Our FAFSA 201 workshop also covers what to do if you are chose for Verification or if you have a special FAFSA circumstance.67For help filing the FAFSACollege Goal Sunday: collegegoalsundaywa.orgChat: fafsa.govPhone: 800-4-FED-AIDEmail: StudentAid@ed.govFor help/questions about Verification, special circumstances, or your Financial Aid Award LetterFinancial Aid Office at your selected schoolsResources

For help filing the FAFSA:Attend a College Goal Sunday event near you. Youll receive one-on-one help from expert FAFSA volunteers. Go to collegegoalsundaywa.org for a list of dates and events near you.You may also contact Federal Student Aid for help and questions as you file your FAFSA. You can contact someone live through fafsa.govs integrated chat feature or over the phone at 800-4-FED-AID. If its not urgent or you are trying to reach someone after hours, you can also email them at StudentAid@ed.gov.

For help/questions about completing the FAFSA process (for example: Verification, special circumstances) or your Financial Aid Award Letter, contact your schools financial aid office.

For how-to or follow-up support through the process, you may participate in one of our online workshops.For a list and to register for one of our live online events, go to events.nela.netTo access recordings of past workshops, go to nela.webex.comTo contact us for more information about our workshops, email OnlineCenter@nela.net68

Thank you!Kelly69FAFSA 4CASTER https://fafsa.ed.gov/FAFSA/app/f4cForm?execution=e1s1CSS PROFILE- FEE WAIVER AUTOMATIC ONCE FILLED OUT IF ELIGIBLE -required for some private schools -deadline earlier than app deadline -in-depth application

Familiarize Yourself with the FafsaBoth70NO CLASS NEXT WEEK

Week 4 Nicole and TyreeshaSocial Justice AlliesRead the article in the back of your workbookSneak peakKelly71Breakout LocationsACEBAG 108Chief Sealth MGH 288ClevelandMGH 228IngrahamMGH 082AOdyssey MGH 242RentonFSH 108AuburnMGH 248AAAMGH 278TECMGH 234HS3MGH 238FosterSMI 309Federal WayMLR 302AGlobalMGH 251Ida B. WellsMLR 302BRainier BeachMLR 316Youth ForceMGH 284Kent-MeridianGLD 435