Financial aid helps

Jed W. Spencer is Weber State University's financial aid director. His advice for every student is to apply for financial aid, even if they don't think they will qualify. He said it is in every student's best interest to fill out the FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. According to Spencer, 50 percent of WSU students receive financial aid or scholarships, yet most students will qualify for some sort of financial aid.

It's never too late to apply for financial aid. The calendar year for financial aid begins in the fall and runs until summer. This means applications can be submitted until June for the previous two semesters. Of course, the sooner, the better.

March 1 is the suggested deadline, as files are processed in the order of completion. There are also supplemental grants from the state that students are automatically considered for. These are given on a first-come, first-served basis, and do run out.

The financial aid process can seem tedious. Applicants must complete the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov as well as complete the WSU Financial Aid application through the student portal at www.weber.edu.

It is important to check financial aid status regularly. If a student has holds, or something was filled out incorrectly, the financial aid application may be waiting on further action from the applicant. Often, an application may be waiting on a student-supplied verification or student's signature on a master promissory note.

The second year a student applies should be easier. The FAFSA usually allows applicants to pull up their old FAFSA and make changes.

When the award information is made available, successful applicants will accept the award by going to Overall Award Information under student services in the Student Portal. Be careful to note whether or not there are requirements associated with accepting.

For scholarships, the deadline is very important. This year, applications can be submitted from Oct. 1, 2008 until January 12, 2009. The second Monday in January is a new priority deadline. This means that if applicants make the deadline, they will automatically be considered. After the deadline, there may not be anything left over.

Fortunately, the scholarship application process is very easy and once it is filled out online, applicants can go to the saved application each year and just update and submit. A new requirement for scholarships this year is that students must maintain 12 credit hours (full time) to keep their scholarships.

One important note regarding scholarships is that most are not renewable. Sharon Judd, a financial aid/scholarship technician, said students often fail to read the contract.

"They don't realize that they have to reapply every year." Judd said, "I would stress that you need to read the contract."

Spencer also added that most scholarships require a thank-you.

"We cannot disperse those scholarships until we receive a thank-you to send to the donor," Spencer said.

Spencer said to apply early and stay on top of it to get the maximum amount of aid, and to keep checking the student portal.

On average, it takes three to four weeks to process a completed application, but during August and September it can take up to eight weeks. Once tuition is paid, the Accounting Office will mail out a refund check.