No, untaxed social security benefits do not need to be included on the FAFSA.
Every year you are in college and before Indiana's March 10 deadline. Also, be sure to check with the individual colleges to see if they have different deadlines you must meet. Some colleges will have deadlines that are earlier than March 10.
Any person (other than parents) who is counted in the household and will be attending any term of the academic year, at least half time, in a program that leads to a college degree or certificate. The FAFSA filer is to be included.
The best bet is to investigate colleges with basketball programs (or other athletic programs) and begin discussions with those colleges. Keep in mind that not all colleges offer athletic scholarships, and even at those that do, the majority are partial scholarships (not full rides), and most college athletes play without receiving scholarships. While it is important to explore all potential options for paying for college, no one should assume they are guaranteed any scholarship—including those based on athletic ability.
Most colleges will accept the results of either test. Ideally you want to take either (or both) tests in the spring of the junior year so there is adequate time to retest in the fall of the senior year. Keep in mind that most colleges take the best results of each sub-score and they recalculate the totals across multiple tests.
Most colleges only require the student to file a FAFSA for need-based financial aid, but a few colleges also require the student to file a CSS/Profile or their own secondary institutional financial aid form. Check with the colleges to see what additional forms they may require, if any.
The CSS/Profile asks questions not included on the FAFSA, possibly including information from a non-custodial parent. The CSS/Profile can be filed as early as October 1 the year prior to attending college and should be filed no later than two weeks before the earliest priority filing date specified by the college. There is a fee for filing the CSS/Profile, but they provide a certain amount of need-based fee waivers based upon financial information provided in the form.
You can file the CSS Profile online by going to
www.collegeboard.com. Within the “Student Section” select “CSS/Profile” under “Pay for College.”
It depends. Some colleges, usually highly selective ones, keep track of who visits their campuses. In those cases, an interview can be an important step to show interest. You may want to ask the colleges on your list if they track this information and use it in admission decisions. In other instances where an interview is strictly optional, an interview may be wise only if the student is comfortable in interviews, thinks it will help the overall application, or wants to explain something the application cannot fully address. If you do decide to have an interview, take along our
Tips for Admission, Scholarship, and Employment Interviews handout.
Be sure to print the confirmation page after you hit "submit." The college(s) you included on your FAFSA will have access to your information and will use it to prepare a financial aid award for you. This may be mailed, emailed or made available to you on your college account(s).
College admission committees have the goal of trying to get the best possible picture of the applicant. While grades and other academic criteria will be of paramount importance, they also want to assess whether the student, as defined by his/her other interests, leadership qualities, etc. is a good “match” for their institutions. Ultimately, every college wants to find students who will excel on their campus and who will want to be there and stay there.
There is not necessarily a “right” or “wrong” time to visit a college – just be sure you do so if it is a school you are seriously considering, and do so before you apply to that school. While it may be convenient to visit colleges during school breaks or summer vacations while you have the time to do it, it always is important to also visit while the college is in session so that you can witness a class or two, see students in action, and get a sense of what that college is really like. When you do decide to visit a college, don’t forget to take along our
College Tour Tips. This document will give you ideas about people to talk with while you are on the visit, as well as important questions to ask.
The FAFSA requires you to submit the information as reported on your federal tax forms and any other specific information regarding your family. If you have special circumstances, (e.g., a parent was employed last year but has since lost his/her job, your family is facing large medical expenses or a parent is now working a job at a greatly reduced salary, etc.) you need to appeal to the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend. The financial aid counselor can make a professional judgement and change the data that you have entered on the FAFSA, which could lower your Expected Family Contribution. You need to be prepared to document the changes and reasons for the professional judgement. Note: The financial aid counselor can also make changes to the data that could increase your Expected Family Contribution.
There are several steps you need to take during the senior year. The first is probably to make a list of the colleges you plan to apply to and mark their admission deadlines on your calendar. You also will want to sign up (and take) the SAT and/or ACT in early fall. Ideally, this should first be taken in the spring of the junior year, allowing for retesting as a senior. You also want to schedule on-campus visits to the schools on your list. Finally, the very important financial aid form known as the FAFSA should be filed after January 1 of the senior year and before March 10 for state of Indiana grant eligibility.
Don't forget to check out our Next Steps to a College Education--A High School Timeline document. This will help you put into perspective what all you need to do throughout high school and when to do it.
The essay is the admission committee’s opportunity to get to know you. As such, the topic should be personal AND persuasive. Many students make the mistake of writing what they think the reader wants to hear. Instead, think about and write about something of personal significance to you. For ideas and examples to help with the essay writing process, you may want to check out our
Essay Topics List,
College Essay/Personal Statement Self-Check, and our
Essay Critique Sheet.
Estimates may, and can, be used to meet a college's and/or state deadline (for Indiana, the state deadline is March 10th). If you plan to file your taxes electronically you can transfer them directly from the IRS website using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (you must submit your taxes in advance of completing your FAFSA). All changes and corrections must be made by the state deadline, May 15th, and all tax filers will be required to go back into the FAFSA website to download tax returns prior to the state completion deadline.
Core 40 is the “minimum” college entrance diploma for all four-year public universities in Indiana. Core 40 is not required for two-year and/or certificate programs. Some, like Indiana University Bloomington and Purdue University West Lafayette, have admissions requirements beyond Core 40, so students interested in those universities should push themselves to complete a Core 40 with Academic Honors Diploma or Core 40 with Technical Honors Diploma. Asking individual colleges about their standards/expectations is a good step.
There is no “minimum” number of colleges to which a student should apply. Obviously, students should not waste time and money applying to colleges that they have no interest in attending. That said, beyond applying to the colleges a student is most interested in, even those that may be a bit of a “reach,” a student needs to be sure there are at least one or two on the final application list where admission is likely AND where the financial aid likely will make attendance feasible.
Rolling admission refers to the admission practice of reviewing applications as they come in and making decisions as soon as reasonably possible. This is in contrast to colleges that have fixed application deadlines by which all applications must be received in order to be considered for an upcoming academic term.
It is never
too early, but you should begin by no later than junior year. See our Timeline—
The Next Steps to a College Education handout to help you with your planning. Start by making a list of the things that are important to you, like size, location, majors/programs of study, geography, etc. Do some initial searches using the
Indiana College Profiles section on this website to get an idea of colleges that may fit. You can also start to narrow down your college search by using our
College Selection Criteria sheet.
When it comes to colleges in Indiana, you will see the majors offered on each college’s
Indiana College Profiles page. That being said, most students change their majors at least once during their collegiate experience. It is most important to pick the college that fits best rather than focusing solely on specific program offerings.
We encourage you to keep track of the deadlines that are specific to each college. Be sure you know when their FAFSA deadline is, especially if it is earlier than the Indiana state deadline of March 10.
No, the value of a primary residence is not included as a parent asset in the federal formula.
Every college sets up its own admission review/evaluation process, and they can vary over time. Different colleges weigh the various admission criteria differently. Colleges should be able to tell you the criteria they give greater weight. Generally, however, the academic profile, especially course selections and grades, will be the single most important factor for most colleges.
Yes, for a student who reports parental information (a dependent student), the 529 accounts are reported as parental investments, including all 529 accounts owned by the student and all 529 accounts owned by the parents for any member of the household. For a student who does not report parental information (independent students), the accounts owned by the student (and/or the student's spouse) are reported as student investments.
Yes, filing a FAFSA allows you to participate in federal loan programs, regardless of your financial situation. Also, no one can predict when your financial situation may change (parent(s) loss of a job, a death in the family, change in marital status, etc.), resulting in financial need.
A few hundred colleges use the national Common Application. It can be a real time-saving step if you are applying to multiple colleges that accept this form, and using the Common Application has no impact on likelihood of admission. Keep in mind, however, that many schools which accept the Common Application also have their own additional forms. Be sure you complete any additional paperwork that may be required by each school’s application deadline. In Indiana, there are currently 13 schools that accept the Common Application: Butler University, DePauw University, Earlham College, Goshen College, Hanover College, Manchester University, Saint Joseph's College, Saint Mary’s College, University of Evansville, University of Notre Dame, Purdue University, Valparaiso University, and Wabash College.
Different colleges should be able to tell you which criteria they give greater weight. Generally, however, the academic profile, especially course selections and grades (even more so than test scores), will be the single most important factor for most colleges. For colleges with large numbers of applicants, minimum thresholds on test scores can be a way of systematically narrowing the applicant pool.
Beyond reviewing colleges’ published academic profiles (grade point average,
SAT/ACT scores, etc.), your best bet is to take a high school transcript, test scores, and other pertinent academic information to college visits as you make them OR send this information to an admission officer at the colleges of interest. They should be able to give you an initial read on the probability of admission given this information, although they may not guarantee admission at that point. A high school guidance counselor also may be a great resource.
It is important to start with an understanding of your student’s potential financial aid eligibility, the net cost of the Indiana colleges your student is interested in, and the financial aid options available at those various colleges. To get a better understanding of all of this, go to the
Indiana College Costs Estimator to find out!
Early Decision is a “binding” agreement: The student only applies to one university Early Decision, and if admitted is morally obligated to attend that institution and must withdraw any other pending admissions applications (although students can back out if the financial aid package ultimately awarded is not sufficient to make attendance possible). Early Action is similar but is non-binding, and students can apply to several colleges on this basis. It gives the student the option of applying for admission and finding out early.