The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the standard form required for federal and state need-based aid and for consideration for many other scholarships and grant opportunities.
All parents are encouraged to fill out the FAFSA. Please make sure you are using the above website as there are scam websites that make you pay to apply. It is free to apply for financial aid. The FAFSA for college entry in Fall of 2014 will be available on January 1st, 2014. We recommend completing your taxes prior to submitting your FAFSA. However, using your family's W-2 forms and guesstimating can be done. It is important that this form be filled out and sent in by mid-March, so that if corrections need to be made they can be done prior to scholarship monies being awarded.
Completing the FAFSA will let you know if you are eligible for grants, low interest loans for students and parents, and work study opportunities. Some colleges will also require the FAFSA to be complete in order to be eligible for scholarships.
Additionally, some colleges and scholarships require The PROFILE to be complete. There is a fee for completing the profile. The North Carolina schools that require it are Davidson, Duke, Elon, Lenior-Rhyne, NC A&T, UNC, and Wake Forest. Instructions and a list of Colleges/Universities that require The PROFILEcan be found here: Profile Instructions