Finding Financial Aid for Future Wildcats
For future members of the Wildcat family, figuring out how to pay for college can be a stressful situation. Staff members at the University Of Kentucky Office Of Student Financial Aid want incoming, transfer, and returning students to know there are resources out there to help make the dream of earning a college degree become a reality.
"There is still significant funding available for students to attend college, and the best way to secure that money is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)," said Lynda George, director of Student Financial Aid at UK.
There are steps all students can take to maximize the funding available to them.
"The most important piece of advice I can give to an incoming freshman is to complete and submit the FAFSA by UK’s priority filing date of Feb. 15," said George. "If students meet that date, they will receive consideration for all of the federal, state and institutional funding sources available to UK students; if they miss the priority date, they will still be awarded financial assistance, but some types of aid for which they might have been eligible may already be exhausted."
George encourages students to complete this process online.
"Applying online is much easier and there are built in edits and skip logic that will help students avoid making errors that can delay their application," said George."In addition, UK will receive the information sooner than if a paper FAFSA is completed. As long as students complete their application online before midnight Feb. 15, they will not miss the priority date. Students who complete the paper FAFSA application must have their application received at the central processor by Feb. 15."
George offers several other tips for students' quests for financial aid:
- Though FAFSA asks for 2008 federal income tax information, complete the FAFSA even if you or your family don't have your taxes complete.
- Simply use the best estimates available from the 2007 tax return if little has changed from the previous year or use information from 2008 end-of-the-calendar-year pay stubs.
- Once you or your parents receive your 2008 tax information, go online and update your FAFSA information with the most updated tax information.
- "You should never pay someone to fill out your FAFSA," said George. "If you need help, just call the University of Kentucky Office of Student Financial Aid at 257-3172."
- Start researching immediately to find the many private scholarships available outside of the university.
- Try www.fastweb.com; it's free and offers a wide list of outside scholarships.
Returning and transfer students have a few more weeks than incoming freshmen to submit the FAFSA. The priority filing date for returning and transfer students is April 1. George says it is very important that these students meet the priority date as well when completing the FAFSA.
As a reminder, the priority date for incoming freshmen to apply for admission to UK is also Feb. 15. The priority date for transfer students is Aug. 1.
For more information, visit www.uky.edu/FinancialAid/ or call (859) 257-3172.
