Deadlines

Between coursework, study sessions, and exams, the time you spend in school may be the most deadline-heavy time of your life. Your school assignments have a due date, but the deadlines for your financial aid should also be a top priority in your busy schedule.

Your financial aid responsibilities might seem daunting while you're in school, but there are a few easy things you can do to keep track of them.

Research Financial Deadlines
The deadlines for different aid applications can sneak up without a reminder email or letter from the awarding department. If you must repay a financial aid package like a Federal or private loan, failing to send money on time can affect your credit just like a car or home loan. If you've had credit trouble in the past, you already know that a lower credit score makes it harder to obtain rental property, credit cards, and loans on large purchases. Research deadlines, do the extra work, and stay in touch with the financial aid office to keep your information current.

Supersize Your Calendar
Between deadline reminder emails, calls, and mail, it's difficult to keep track of important information when it's not all in one place. Simplify your life by keeping a large desktop calendar in a place where you can see it every day. Keep a special deadline-only calendar next to the kitchen phone or by the front door. Financial aid deadlines can be the most important and yet the easiest to forget. Keeping everything on a calendar, however, makes it more likely you'll keep on top of any obligation.

Call for Assistance
Assistance on your personalized financial aid plan is just an email or phone call away. Your school's financial aid office has your financial aid information on record and they are experts on deadlines and other financial aid information. Be sure to keep your financial aid professionals at the top of your contact list.

Make the Dates
Your financial aid office has the most up-to-date information on financial aid deadlines. Although the deadlines for some types of Federal aid are broad, you need to file your FAFSA by your school's deadlines to be eligible for the maximum aid your school offers. The following are general aid deadlines for typical academic terms:

• FAFSA on the Web - This document can be completed between mid-November (2006) through the end of June (2008) for the 2007-2008 academic year. To be eligible for the maximum aid that your school offers, however, you generally should have filed this form between January and March 2007. Again, contact your school for specific deadlines.
• FAFSA Corrections - You can file corrections to your 2007-2008 FAFSA information up until mid-September of 2008. Contact your financial aid office for specific instructions.
• State Financial Aid - varies from state to state, check with your financial aid office.
• Income Tax Returns - file by IRS deadlines in mid-April. You may have to submit a copy to the financial aid office to verify information you or your parents submitted on the FAFSA.

Organize your financial aid calendar now and you can go the rest of the year without worrying about deadlines.