x
Breaking News
More () »

New Change to College FAFSA Applications

MOLINE, Illinois – A new change is in place for FAFSA applications this year. Starting October 1, 2016 college students can now start their 2017-2018 FAFSA appl...

MOLINE, Illinois – A new change is in place for FAFSA applications this year. Starting October 1, 2016 college students can now start their 2017-2018 FAFSA applications early.

“In the past the application was January 1st but it's been moved up to October 1st to allow more time for processing,” says Blackhawk College Financial Aid Director, Joanna Dye.

Dye says the applications will now look back two tax years, making the process more accurate.

“In the past, we went to the prior year and when students were filling out their forms in January they hadn't done their taxes yet,” added Dye.

The earlier date will make it easier to get information right from the IRS, saving students and parents time.

“The taxes are there and easy to pull from when students were doing estimates there was a lot of inaccurate information and took a lot of time to make the corrections,” says Dye.

The new date also allows students to apply for college and financial aid all at once.

Blackhawk College has been posting notices around campus to spread the word so students can get the most bang for their buck.

“Once they know what financial aid they are eligible for, they can look at the cost of attendance and compare what schools they can afford,” says Dye.

For a link to the FAFSA application, click here.

Before You Leave, Check This Out