Step 6: Financial Aid Checklist and Calendar
FALL
September
Make a list of important deadlines for college admissions and financial aid applications.
Sign up to take the SAT or ACT.
Look into advanced placement exams for college credit, if your high school offers them.
Request college catalogs and admissions packets, and meet with college representatives visiting your high school. Check out colleges on the Web.
Ask the colleges you're applying to about their student aid programs.
Apply for a Social Security number, if you don't already have one. Call 800.772.1213 (TTY 800.325.0778), or go to www.ssa.gov.
Register with the U.S. Selective Service (most males) so you'll be eligible for federal student aid, at www.sss.gov or at your high school.
Check out scholarships and grants on the Web or in your library's directories. Ask about scholarships offered by local community service organizations.
Learn about low-interest federal student loans, if you think you'll need to borrow.
Research military and veterans education benefits.
Look into the AmeriCorps program, which allows you to earn educational awards in return for community service.
Meet with your high school counselor to discuss your college plans and financial aid needs.
Register for the College Board's CSS PROFILE® application if you're applying to an independent college that requires one. Go to https://profileonline.collegeboard.com/index.jsp.
October
Register for a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov so you can file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, online. Your parents can get a PIN too.
Pick up the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet at your high school or college, or print it from www.fafsa.ed.gov. Collect all your financial information and complete the worksheet so you'll be ready to file the online FAFSA in January.
Attend your high school's college fair and financial aid workshop.
Visit your top college choices or take virtual tours of their campuses.
Get started filling out forms and writing essays for admissions applications and scholarship competitions.
November
Note which colleges require additional financial aid applications and request them from the college.
Ask your teachers, counselors, employers, friends and family for letters of recommendations for your admissions or financial aid applications.
Submit your college admissions applications.
December
Check your mailbox and e-mail for admissions letters and financial aid offers if you applied under a special admissions program.
Continue to apply for scholarships.
WINTER
January
Complete and file the FAFSA as soon as possible after January 1, but not before.
Keep a photocopy or printout of everything you submit.
Remind your parents to complete their tax returns, if they haven't done so already. That way, you'll have their final financial records when you receive your Student Aid Report.
Be sure to meet all financial aid deadlines.
SPRING
February/March
Continue to apply for private scholarships, if you haven't already done so.
Review your Student Aid Report, or SAR, which you should receive within three weeks of filing your FAFSA or sooner if you file online.
Respond promptly to any requests for additional information from your college, private scholarship organizations, or your state's higher education agency.
April
Watch your mailbox (or e-mail) for college admissions letters and financial aid award letters.
Evaluate all financial aid offers carefully.
Consider grants, scholarships, and other aid you don't have to repay before accepting a student loan.
Decide on a college and send in any forms or deposits by the deadline.
Sign and return your college's financial aid award letter, noting the awards you're accepting and the ones you're declining.
Notify the colleges you won't be attending.
May
Have your final transcript sent to your college.
Look for a summer job to help with college costs. Or sign up for summer school or an internship.
Notify your financial aid administrator if your family has experienced any changes in financial aid circumstances.
SUMMER
Report any additional scholarships you receive to your college's financial aid administrator.
Prepare a financial plan. Go to EDWISE®, EDFUND's online financial planning guide at www.edwise.org.
Arrange for college housing and transportation.
Complete your federal student loan promissory note if you'll be borrowing for college.
Attend college orientation.
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