Crosby Senior Newsletter
CLASS OF 2016 - January
Reminders
- Jan 1: FAFSA open online
- Jan 8: Registration deadline for Feb 6 ACT
- Jan 9-15: Late fee registration for Feb 6 ACT
- Jan 18: Martin Luther King Day - Crosby Office Closed
- Jan 23: SAT Testing Date
- Jan 31: Senior Community Service Form Deadline
- Feb 1: Crosby Senior Academy on Financial Aid
Make sure you are on track to meet all Crosby Scholars senior requirements!
- Have you completed 2 senior academies?
Check online for remaining events. - Have you turned in your community service form?
You have until Jan 31st! - Have you been meeting with your Senior Advisor?
Your 4th meeting deadline is on Feb 19th.
Seniors who complete all program requirements will be eligible to apply for a Last Dollar Grant and designated Crosby Scholars scholarships.
It's Financial Aid Season
Each family's situation is unique and will be considered individually. The information you submit on financial aid applications is treated confidentially. So, when in doubt, apply for financial aid!
- Remember to first create your FSA ID before you start the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). When filing the form electronically, the FSA ID becomes your signature. Students and parents need to sign the FAFSA, so each will require different FSA ID numbers.
- Need help understanding some of your options for funding your education? Here is a Guide to Federal Student Aid.
- If you are not sure if you should apply for student financial aid, complete an Early Estimator like a Net Price Calculator or FAFSA4caster—both are early eligibility estimators that can help you plan ahead when it comes to paying for college. Use the results from an early estimator to make informed decisions about college affordability. Remember, neither form is an application for financial aid. The results are only as reliable as the data you provide, and these forms will only give you an estimate of your aid eligibility. When in doubt, APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID!
- Confirm which financial aid forms (FAFSA, CSS/PROFILE, Institutional form) are required by the colleges to which you have applied.
- Most 4-year colleges have priority deadlines for student financial aid applications. Deadlines range from early February to mid-March. Two-year schools generally have later deadlines. It is critical for you to meet the earliest deadline of the schools on your target list.
- Remember that the student financial aid process is very time sensitive — you do NOT have to wait to receive an acceptance letter before you apply for student financial aid.
Free Application for Federal Student Aid
When completing your student financial aid forms, use income records for the tax year prior to the academic year for which you are applying: for instance, if you are filling out the 2016–17 FAFSA, you will need 2015 tax information. It is recommended that you and your parents complete your 2015 taxes prior to completing the FAFSA. However, you can use estimated income data (based on the last pay stubs of the year, and W-2 and 1099 statements) to fill out your FAFSA. You will need to update your FAFSA after you complete your tax return.
According to the U.S. Department of Education, electronic filing is the fastest way to apply for financial aid. Your information is edited before you submit it, so, if you made any errors or left out any information, they can call this to your attention before you submit your information. Electronic filing also reduces the chance that your data will be rejected and makes it less likely that you will have to correct your information later.
Visit www.fafsa.ed.gov and select Start A New FAFSA. You will complete one FAFSA prior to each school year you attend college. (After the first year, you will complete and submit a renewal FAFSA.) The colleges you list on your FAFSA (up to 10) will receive your information from the federal processing center electronically and will use your results to create a student financial aid award that may include federal, state, and institutional aid. List all colleges on your FAFSA to which you have applied but not been denied admission. Again, you may apply for aid prior to being admitted.
Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
In February, after your income tax returns are filed, you can utilize the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to complete or update your FAFSA through a simple online data transfer process. If you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, the US Department of Education highly recommends using the tool for several reasons:
- It’s the easiest way to provide your tax data.
- It’s the best way of ensuring that your FAFSA has accurate tax information.
- If you use the IRS DRT and don’t change any of the retrieved information in your FAFSA, you won’t need to provide tax transcripts if you’re selected for verification.
If you are ineligible or otherwise choose not to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to retrieve tax information, your college may require a copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript (or your parents’ IRS Tax Return Transcript, if you are a dependent student). If you submitted your FAFSA before you filed your taxes, you can still transfer your tax return information. Log in to your FAFSA and update your tax return status to “Already Completed.” You will see the link to the IRS DRT.
After you use the IRS DRT, don’t make any changes to those answers (except where Individual Retirement Account or pension rollovers are involved), or you’ll invalidate the information you retrieved.
For help, attend FAFSA DAY
If your college’s priority filing deadline is earlier than February 20th, do not wait until FAFSA DAY to submit your FAFSA.
10 Tips for Financial Aid
Common FAFSA Mistakes
Make sure to take your time so you don’t make one of these mistakes.
Last Dollar Grant
Rowan Crosby Scholars
*Only students who complete the Senior program are eligible to apply for Last Dollar Grants and Crosby scholarships.
Email: info@crosbyscholarsrowan.org
Website: crosbyscholarsrowan.org
Location: 225 N Main St, Salisbury, NC, United States
Phone: 704-762-3512
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RowanCrosbyScholars
Twitter: @CrosbyClass2016