By By: JIM IRIZARRY
Staff Writer/Copy Editor
jcirizar@iusb.edu
Gone are the days of having to file your taxes before you file your FAFSA. You can file your application for the 2017-2018 school year now.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid launched Oct. 1. Filling out the FAFSA allows students to be considered for all federal aid programs including the Pell Grant, work-study and Direct Loans. The deadline for IU South Bend aid and Indiana state aid is March 10, 2017.
The FAFSA does not carry over from year-to-year. In order to be considered for financial aid, students need to fill out a new application every year they will be enrolled in school.
IU South Bend will be holding FAFSA workshops if you need to fill out your application or if you have any questions. The first workshop will be Sunday, Nov 13, from 2 to 4 p.m. as part of College Goal Sunday. It will be held in room 1105 of the Education and Arts Building as well as at the Elkhart Center in room 205.
The second workshop will be Tuesday, Dec. 6, from 6 to 8 p.m., in EA 1105. Spring FAFSA workshops will be announced in the spring semester.
Computers with secure connections will be available to students wishing to fill out their FAFSA during the workshops. As some financial aid is given on a first-come, first-serve basis, it is recommended that students fill out the FAFSA online as the online application processes within three to five days. Paper applications will also be available, but they take seven to ten days to process.
If you are unable to attend any of the workshops, you are encouraged to visit the financial aid and scholarships office in the Education and Arts Building. They are open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays and during holidays.
There are also many scholarship opportunities available to students at IU South Bend. The school’s Online Scholarship Application (OSA) allows students to put their name in for over 200 scholarships from the Indiana University Foundation, the Indiana University Alumni Association and multiple academic departments at IU South Bend.
Students can access the OSA through One.IU. Like the FAFSA, it is available now and due by March 10, 2017.
