Ed. Note: Cathy Simoneaux is the Director of the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid at Loyola University New Orleans
To celebrate Financial Aid Awareness Month, I hosted @FAFSA’s February #AskFAFSA Office Hours last night. Many students took advantage of the extra day they got this leap year by asking questions about the financial aid process and participating in the discussion with @FAFSA and @loynofinaid live on Twitter.
Hi everyone! I’m Cathy Simoneaux, from Loyola New Orleans. I’m here to answer your financial aid questions. Tweet Q’s using #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
February is one of the busiest times in financial aid offices across the country, because many school and state FAFSA deadlines occur in February and March. February is also one of the most popular times to complete school financial aid applications (which include the FAFSA), so as you can imagine, I had no shortage of questions to answer.
Deadlines
There are many state deadlines approaching. In fact, if you live in Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Oklahoma or Rhode Island, your deadline is today (and you’re tomorrow, California). It is important to be mindful of both your state AND school financial aid deadlines. Find out which deadline is earlier and complete your FAFSA before that date. But remember, some aid is first-come, first-served, so it’s best to complete your FAFSA today at www.fafsa.gov.
@FAFSA when do we have to have it in?
— Esmie Mendoza (@EsmeraldaSmile) February 29, 2012
.@EsmeraldaSmile State deadlines: 1.usa.gov/uVPBYy school deadlines: school site. ASAP is best; some aid 1st-come 1st-served #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
@fafsa I want to know can I still apply even though I missed the deadline? #askfafsa #financialaid #help #worried
— Sandra Chhurm (@xLadyDreezy) February 24, 2012
.@xLadyDreezy Even if you missed your school deadline, you may still qualify for federal or state $$. Apply: fafsa.gov #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
Who Gets Aid
http://twitter.com/Doggielover26/status/174898021048385537
.@Doggielover26 You can’t get federal grants but you may be able to get federal student loans & work study: bit.ly/w3QIUs #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
@fafsa Students who would like to continue theirjourney of knowledge to graduate school can also get #financialaid ? #askfafsa
— Chenice(@CreateSmilies) February 29, 2012
@createsmilies Yes, grad students can get #financialaid. Check out studentaid.ed.gov/grad for info and ideas. #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
Taxes
@FAFSA #AskFAFSA What do we do if both parents are NOT filing taxes?
— Christine Aguilar (@TeenahTine) February 26, 2012
.@TeenahTine Check if required to file: 1.usa.gov/A55Ucg. If not, select “Not going to file” & list untaxed income on @FAFSA. #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
@FAFSA @loynofinaid My question is, since tax return info is needed on fafsa, do I need to file returns by 3/2 deadline also?
— Tia_Loly19 (@Tia_Loly19) February 29, 2012
.@Tia_Loly19 You don’t have to do your taxes before your FAFSA. Estimate tax info on the FAFSA & correct it after you file. #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
IRS Data Retrieval
@fafsa @nasfaa do u know of any links I can provide a student that helps him determine if he can use IRS data retrieval?
— ♥Trina♥ (@BeautifulMind17) February 22, 2012
.@BeautifulMind17 Here’s a resource we developed at @Loynofinaid: bit.ly/z2rsvf. Info about qualifying at bottom of page. #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
#AskFAFSA I have my parents’ latest tax return in hand, but filed the FAFSA with estimates from last year’s tax return. What do I do now?
— Blair White (@blairgwhite) February 29, 2012
.@blairgwhite Sign on to fafsa & update using actual tax info. Read about retrieving tax data automatically: bit.ly/z2rsvf #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
Student Loans
http://twitter.com/beth_morton/status/174999965406461952
.@beth_morton Learn about consolidation here: 1.usa.gov/yH1yYz#AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
@FAFSA how do you decifer all the loans in the reward letter offer? Got our first one today.
— Christina Keeley (@ChristinaKeeley) February 28, 2012
.@ChristinaKeeley Comparing award packages can be hard. Here are some things to consider when comparing: bit.ly/ykSMLX #AskFAFSA
— Loyola FinancialAid (@loynofinaid) February 29, 2012
Thank you for participating! I had a lot of fun answering your questions on Twitter.
Now that all your questions are answered, it’s time to finish up those financial aid applications. Check with your school’s financial aid office to find out when their financial aid deadline is. If you have any questions about the financial aid process, find out how your financial aid administrator can help you.
If you’re ever in New Orleans, be sure to stop by and say hello!
To see all the tweets from the event, follow @loynofinaid & @FAFSA on Twitter. You can also follow @loynofinaid’s new Tumblr for information about financial aid and scholarships.
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