Stressed out because I submitted FAFSA late

[swimbikespeech]

Hi! So I feel like I made a major mistake. I never qualified for financial aid in undergrad and therefore have never been familiar with FAFSA. I just submitted it in early March after I was accepted to a school and the school I plan to go to received it on March 12. I was just going about life thinking I was all good until I realized that people usually submit FAFSA way back in OCTOBER. Am I completely out of the running for any grants now? Does anyone have insight on this? I am quite worried now. Thank you!

[TooExcited&Nervous]

Lol you're not late. Some people submit it early to get it out of the way. I always submit my fasfa early just to get it out of the way. Most schools do not have financial aid packages confirmed until summer or before your program starts. You should be fine. 

[swimbikespeech]

1 hour ago, TooExcited&Nervous said:

Lol you're not late. Some people submit it early to get it out of the way. I always submit my fasfa early just to get it out of the way. Most schools do not have financial aid packages confirmed until summer or before your program starts. You should be fine. 

ah omg thank you. clearly i am confused. this makes me much less worried haha.

[TooExcited&Nervous]

7 minutes ago, swimbikespeech said:

ah omg thank you. clearly i am confused. this makes me much less worried haha.

Yeah, you're fine! I usually matters more in Undergrad anyways since most graduate students do not receive federal grants. No worries though, as long as you got it in before the deadline, you are good. If it was after the deadline (which it isn't), then I would worry. 

[CajunSLP18]

I literally submitted mine 10 minutes ago. ??‍♀️

[TooExcited&Nervous]

40 minutes ago, CajunSLP18 said:

I literally submitted mine 10 minutes ago. ??‍♀️

You're good too! They pushed the deadline to April I believe. 

[rising_star]

There aren't a lot of federal grants for graduate school so you aren't missing out.

[speechpathbound]

Hello,

I just submitted mine a week ago, so don't worry  I didn't use FAFSA for undergrad either so I am a newbie too. I was wondering if someone could answer some of my questions. 

1. Do we find out about loans/ aid via FAFSA's website or the school website?

2. If it's the school's website, I have been prompted via email telling me to log into my school's website using my username and password... but I don't have a school login because those don't get set up until you begin classes. How do you get info about your loans/aid then?

3. Are the schools going to let us know about financial aid before the standard April 15th deadline? I'm not sure how I can commit to a school when I don't know how much loans/ aid I am getting from them.

Thanks!

[Luna529]

19 hours ago, speechpathbound said:

Hello,

I just submitted mine a week ago, so don't worry  I didn't use FAFSA for undergrad either so I am a newbie too. I was wondering if someone could answer some of my questions. 

1. Do we find out about loans/ aid via FAFSA's website or the school website?

2. If it's the school's website, I have been prompted via email telling me to log into my school's website using my username and password... but I don't have a school login because those don't get set up until you begin classes. How do you get info about your loans/aid then?

3. Are the schools going to let us know about financial aid before the standard April 15th deadline? I'm not sure how I can commit to a school when I don't know how much loans/ aid I am getting from them.

Thanks!

SOS I need the answers to these questions too!

[swimbikespeech]

21 hours ago, speechpathbound said:

Hello,

I just submitted mine a week ago, so don't worry  I didn't use FAFSA for undergrad either so I am a newbie too. I was wondering if someone could answer some of my questions. 

1. Do we find out about loans/ aid via FAFSA's website or the school website?

2. If it's the school's website, I have been prompted via email telling me to log into my school's website using my username and password... but I don't have a school login because those don't get set up until you begin classes. How do you get info about your loans/aid then?

3. Are the schools going to let us know about financial aid before the standard April 15th deadline? I'm not sure how I can commit to a school when I don't know how much loans/ aid I am getting from them.

Thanks!

 

1 hour ago, Luna529 said:

SOS I need the answers to these questions too!

 

Ok so I called my financial aid office to try to smooth some of this out!

1. The school's website. My school has a portal I can log into to see the info when it's updated

2. Hmm...mine let me log in using the ID I got when I submitted an application and a temporary assigned password. They probably have a way you can check it, I'd ask them!

3. I think it depends on the school :/ I've heard some have already released their full financial aid packages and mine said they are going to next week. I think there's a chance some might not let you know in time... not really sure how that works when you have to make a decision! Definitely contact the school and ask, my financial aid office was super helpful.

Sigh, such a crazy process!

Are any of you in CA? The original reason I got concerned was because there is a State University Grant in CA that can cover a bulk of tuition, but I saw online that there is a priority deadline of 3/2 and you wouldn't be considered after that date. When I called they told me the 3/2 deadline only matters for undergrads for the Cal Grant and I'm in good shape since I have an EFC of $0 and my application wasn't selected for verification. I am really hoping that person is correct and I'm trying not to worry when I see contradictory info online!! Guess I'll find out next week.