Ok...WHAT NOW!!! Applied for Financial Aid, What Happens Now...Can YOU Help?....No 1 seems 2 have any answers!

Question

Ok so may I first say, Why the HECK do they make appyling for school and financial aid such a hassel. You have through go through h**l and high water just to get the money to go to school!! Makes you not even wanna go any more, just to know the hoops you have to jump through to get there. Its like a constant guessing game. .GEEZ-O-FLIP!!

Ok now that I've vented......Here's my question:

Now that my FAFSA application has been submitted, what happens next? How will I know if I have financial aid? Will financial aid just automatically be applied and appear in my student account? And if so, how will I I know when? What (if any) additional information do i have to fill out to recieve financial aid? Where do I go to see the awarded amount? Is it just a matter of waiting until my financial information ports over from the FAFSA website? Basically.. what happens NOW? Anyone with any insite on THIS matter is greatly appreciated. Thx and Good luck with all Educational Endeavours!!

Answer 1

You and the school will each recieve a "financial aid award letter" in the mail stating how much money in grants and loans you have been approved for over the next year.  I don't think the monetary amount is ever available to view on the FAFSA website although I may be wrong.  

It can take a few weeks so be patient and best of luck in school!

Answer 2

You need to contact your colleges fin aid office and tell them you just did your fafsa online.  They will either mail or direct you to a site where you can down loan MORE forms to fill out for them.  Fill them out and return them to your school as quickly as possible.  Be sure you fill out an admission application to your school with all necessary transcripts and are admitted to the school.  Most financial aid offices won't let you know how much money you are going to get (via an "Award Letter") without an admission application on file.

The school will be able to access your fafsa info shortly.  They will check to see if you have been admitted and may contact you for MORE paperwork.  Sometimes they ask for copies of tax forms, W2's, bank statements, whatever. Be sure to give them everything they ask for as quickly as possible and keep copies of everything you turn in for yourself as well.

After they have your file complete they will issue you an "Award Letter".  This will detail exactly what kinds and how much financial aid you will get.  You will have the option to "Accept" or "Decline" the different kinds of fin aid.  If it says GRANT you want to say YES because this is free money.  If it says LOAN, you might want to see how much (if any) you get in grants and if it will cover all your tuition, fees and books.

This publication has a book flo chart of what happens next.  Good luck.