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Hi @maurmaur - hopefully my response isn't too late. I was really pleased with the quality of education and the availability of courses through the UFL post-bacc program. They're also one of the more affordable options. If you have any specific questions, feel free to PM me. I would recommend supplementing with in-person classes if you're able to. It's much easier to get quality recommendation letters from professors that you interact with in a normal classroom setting. It can certainly be done through online courses as well, it will just take much more effort on your part and still may not be viewed as highly by an admissions committee. Of course your rec letters may come from non-CSD professors as well if you studied a related field in undergrad and completed your degree somewhat recently.

Are you referring to your EFC or to your financial aid award? The EFC is the only thing that FAFSA will determine, and you should have that immediately upon filiing. The school will determine your ultimate financial aid award package. The timing of the award letter depends on the school. Hope that helps!

I'm just posting this for anyone who has the same issue and stumbles across this post. I did speak with the financial aid office. It wasn't a mistake as much as just how their process works. I am indeed eligible for the maximum federal direct loan and PLUS loans to bridge the gap between that maximum amount and the total cost of attendance. At UW, they first award you the minimal amount of loans based on your FAFSA EFC and put it on you to request more. I personally think they should explain that in the award letter, but there it is.

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?
I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 
1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?
2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.
3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 
4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.
More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.  

@Gingiestrong This apparently depends on your state of residence (https://fafsa.ed.gov/deadlines.htm#). I can't imagine most states would have a deadline that preceded the tax filing deadline. Do you plan to file an extension or are you sticking with April 18? Also, you can submit your FAFSA before your taxes are finalized and then update it once your taxes are filed (it's just your responsibility to remember to update it - I'm not sure reminders are sent). If you do this, just make sure you select "going to file" in the FAFSA when it asks about your tax return status and use your best estimate on the figures (wages, taxes, etc.). If your earnings aren't significantly different from calendar year 2014 to calendar year 2015 (and you didn't get married or have a child in 2015), you can just use your 2014 income tax return information and then update it with your 2015 income tax information once you've filed. 

@amc91 Jolie717 is correct - you must fill out a FAFSA to receive any federal aid, including federal direct loans and PLUS loans. As far as institutional aid (funds from the school rather than the federal government), there are two types: merit-based and need-based. Need-based aid is awarded based on your expected family contribution and the cost of attendance. The FAFSA determines your expected family contribution, so you must have a FAFSA to be eligible for need-based institutional aid. However, need-based aid is reserved for undergraduate students at most institutions. Each school may also have merit aid that they award, and it depends on the school whether or not they require a FAFSA on file for you to be eligible for that aid. Chances are, a school's institutional aid will not cover your cost of attendance. Student loans would be used to cover the shortfall (unless you are receiving help from family or otherwise). You should complete the FAFSA to cover all bases (it's free - make sure you go to www.fafsa.gov to file). You can still file your FAFSA after the priority deadline and be eligible for aid. I hope that helps!

Thanks so much for your reply. I definitely agree that there will be significantly more medical-based practicum opportunities given the structure of UW's program. What are your biggest concerns in choosing a program?
I have actually compared the duration and curriculum of all three programs, and I think there are several notable observations, as you suggest. 
1) UW and Temple both require a second summer term, while the UO does not. I am wondering whether finishing in the summer becomes an issue with starting certain CFY positions - do you know anything about that?
2) The UO and UW programs begin in at the end of September, whereas Temple begins at the end of August. This is important to me because I currently have a well-paying job. Being able to work an additional month, or even just a couple of more weeks, would really help me save some extra money.
3) The UW program requires the greatest number of credits (I converted quarter hours to semester hours for comparison with Temple). It's about 12 additional semester hours of academic coursework and 12 additional semester hours of practicum relative to Temple's program. The practicum hours are about the same for the UO and UW, but UW has nearly 15 additional semester hours of academic coursework. This is actually appealing to me because a lot of the additional courses at the UW are advanced medical speech-language pathology courses, including a TBI seminar. 
4) Two of the courses at Temple are audiology courses that I have already taken, and they don't allow you to waive them. I am also missing two of the pre-requisites that they require, which are graduate level courses for most programs (research methods is one). Although Temple allows you to take three graduate level classes as you complete any missing prerequisites, I don't know if the two that I need will be offered in the fall. I can't take them in the summer because I'm getting married and have already booked a honeymoon. It could end up delaying my entire program.
More on practicum and CFY: Because you can complete your full-time spring practicum at the UO anywhere in the country (they allow this because there really aren't many opportunities in Eugene, OR), it would be possible for me to try to arrange to have them in a city back in the northeast (which is where my fiance and I are from and want to settle long-term), but there is no guarantee I would be successful in securing them in the location of my choosing. I think that is really my biggest concern with the UO. It costs a lot less, and there are many more opportunities for scholarships / graduate assistantships, but you're getting significantly fewer credits and the uncertainty about where you will be able to complete your practicum experiences is a little unnerving. On top of that, people that I've spoken to that are working in the field on the east coast are definitely much more familiar with the UW's program - it has a national reputation. My intuition would tell me that going to a medical-based program may enhance my chances of getting a medical-based CFY, but I wish I had the data to support that. I will probably reach out to the program to ask how many of their graduates secure medical CFY placements.