FAFSA Season!

The New Year has come and gone, which means it's FAFSA and CSS season! Big changes are coming next year, by the way; if you haven't been following the Prior-Prior Year FAFSA changes, read up on them now.

I thought it might be a good idea to reach out to my colleagues over in the Office of Financial Aid to see if they had any tips for you as you complete these important documents. Marissa Lespinasse, one of our great financial aid counselors, is taking over today as your guest blogger. Take it away, Marissa!

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Marissa Lespinasse from the
Office of Financial Aid 

February 15th is right around the corner which means it’s time to get going on those financial aid applications! There are many questions that come along with filling out the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Will I qualify for aid? Do I have to provide my parents information? Who should be included in the household size? Do I need to file taxes before I apply for financial aid? We understand that the whole financial aid process can seem a bit overwhelming, but the more familiar you are, the less scary it is.

First things first, let’s look at what each application is for. The FAFSA application is used to apply for federal aid including loans and need-based aid such as the Pell grant and Federal work study. The CSS Profile is the application for Tulane Need Based Scholarship. Both applications will require you to input your financial information so make sure you are prepared with the proper documentation. Here is a helpful link to better prepare you for filling out these applications.

It is common for students and parents to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of applying for college and forget to apply for financial aid until the last minute. Don’t do it! It will stress all of us out! And who likes stress? Waiting until the last minute is one of the top 11 common FAFSA mistakes. What are the other 10? Find out here.

The CSS profile has a handful of its own common mistakes we see on a daily basis. Here are some tips so that you won’t run into these mistakes:

• Tulane does not use the Data Retrieval Tool on the CSS profile; please send all documents to our processing center.
• Own a business? Include your business tax return in the documents you send to us.
• Make sure the 1040 is signed.
• Include all of your W2’s for the prior year. 
• If the student worked and filed a tax return, we need a copy of the return and the W2’s.
• Tulane does not include graduate level siblings in the household number for number of students in college. If a student’s sibling is enrolled as an undergrad, we will verifying their enrollment later in the year.
• The CSS profile does not allow applicants to make corrections electronically. If you need to make corrections, please inform your student’s financial aid counselor.

We do not require that taxes be filed before the applications are completed. However, please, please, please estimate to the best of your ability. We will send out initial awards to students based on the information provided on the FAFSA and CSS profile. Once we receive tax returns and W2’s, the information will be updated accordingly and the award may be changed.

The fastest way to get information to us is to send documentation directly to our processing center. Please include the student’s ID number on each page.

Tulane Processing Center
P.O. Box 8090
Portsmouth, NH 03802

Don’t forget the deadline to submit the CSS Profile and FAFSA for incoming freshman is February 15th and April 15th for returning undergrad students. If you miss the deadline, the world won’t end...you can still apply and we’ll determine your award, but it’s best to try and meet the application deadlines.

I know that was a lot of information to digest, but trust us, it will be okay! If you ever have any questions we are available to help.