Of course, we hope you high school seniors filled out your FAFSA early in January, based on your 2012 tax returns. Now it is time to file your 2013 taxes and then log in into your FAFSA account and make corrections using your 2013  income.

If you need help filing your taxes, Oregon has a non-profit that helps low-income families complete this step. I recommend using them, as I believe it is important for students to learn the basics of filing taxes. Almost anyone can fill out a basic tax form with a little bit of help. Go to this website for more information. (Check to see if your state offers a similar service).

January is over, which means that seniors should have completed all financial aid forms for college. Almost everyone needs to complete the FAFSA-Free Application for Federal Student Aid. (This form is free. Do not use commercial sites with .com addresses). This qualifies you for federal need-based aid which includes, Pell grants, work-study, and federal student loans. It may also be used to qualify parents as eligible to borrow PLUS loans to help their student with tuition. Quite a few schools also use the CSS Profile. (This is a financial document created by the same people who create the SAT. This form requires a fee unless you are very low-income. In that case, the fee will be waived after you have completed the form). The last day to file the CSS Profile for students entering college in the fall of 2014 is February 15th.

Be sure to check the website of every college to which you will apply to ensure that you have completed all requirements. Nothing is more disappointing than getting an incomplete financial aid offer that can not be corrected in a timely manner. A few colleges also have their own financial aid form to complete, in addition to the FAFSA and CSS Profile. Do not hesitate to communicate with the college to make sure you understand everything you need to complete.

The linked article below suggests that the order in which a student lists his or her college on the FAFSA could affect the admission decision or the financial aid package. For simplicity, I advise (as I have inconsistently recommended in the past) that you list your colleges alphabetically on the FAFSA. Or you can read the whole article and devise a strategy for listing colleges that could beat colleges at their own game. It is too bad that there are gaming elements involved in the admissions process. If we all ignored all the ratings, many of the gaming elements would disappear nicely.
 
Here's the FAFSA article.

I hope you are all planning to attend the Financial Aid Information nights at your school or in your district. These nights typically go over the details of filing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), which makes it much easier to fill out that application when January 1 comes around. The FAFSA can not be filed until January 1 for students entering college in the Fall, 2013. Please be sure to go to fafsa.ed.gov and NOT fafsa.com. The government site is free; the other site charges you money. You can get someone to help you for free.

A free FAFSA Information session is being sponsored by the Hispanic Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce on Saturday, January 12, from 11:00am-12:30pm and from 1:00pm-2:30pm. It will be held at the NELA Center for Student Success, 1500 NE Irving, near the Lloyd Center. Space is limited, so reserve your spot in advance.  Call 503.222.0280 or email [email protected]. Alex Gonzalez will be the very knowledgeable presenter.

You can also get personal help with the FAFSA by attending College Goal Oregon (www.collegegoaloregon.gov). All the PCC campuses will be helping on January 5, from 9am until 12noon. There are other locations and dates listed on the website.

Also, check the financial aid page for each college to which you are applying. Many of the small, selective colleges also require the CSS Profile to be completed. This is available through the College Board at www.collegeboard.org. This is not free to file (unless you are recognized as having a low income by the college board when the form is complete, in which case they will allow you to send the Profile to six colleges for free) and boasts many more questions. It is available now. Some colleges also have their own additional financial aid forms. I recommend that all financial aid forms be completed by January 30, at the absolute latest. These forms put you in line for money and colleges have limited funds. Get in line early, so you will be offered the best financial aid package each college can offer.