At the beginning of the school year, some of the most asked questions I receive are about Financial Aid. Financial Aid is money to help pay for college or career school. Grants, work-study, loans, and scholarships help make college or career school affordable. There is a free application to apply for Financial Aid through https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid. However, there are deadlines you must meet to be eligible. For the 2021-2022 school year, the deadlines are: 

• State deadline for the PROMISE Scholarship was March 1, 2021 
• State deadline for the WV Higher Education Grant was April 15th, 2021 
• Fairmont State University priority deadline is March 1st 
• Federal Deadline for the FAFSA form is June 30, 2022 

Students should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1st, which is when it opens.  

Students may also need to know what is needed to complete the FAFSA. When it comes to filling out Financial Aid, if students are considered dependent, they will need their information as well as their parents’. To complete the Financial Aid, these are the things needed: 

• Student’s Social Security Number 
• Student’s Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen) 
• Student’s 2019 Federal Income Tax Return, W-2s, and other records of money earned. 
• Bank statements (if applicable) 
• Records of Untaxed Income (if applicable) 
• Bank Statements and Records of Investments (if applicable) 
• An FSA ID to sign electronically 
• If a dependent student, most of the above information will be needed from parents as well 

As for receiving awards for the 2021-2022 academic year, students should have already received their offers. Fall 2021 First Time Freshman began receiving award packages in December if student was admitted to Fairmont State, and FAFSA and Financial Aid file was complete. Fall 2021 Upperclassmen and continuing students began receiving award packages in May if their FAFSA and financial aid file is complete, and the student is meeting satisfactory academic progress. 

When accepting financial aid offers, students need to be sure about what they’re accepting. There are many ways to be given money through financial aid. These ways include loans, scholarships, grants, and work-study. Grants are given to students who demonstrate financial need but are not required to be paid back. Work-study programs offer flexible part-time jobs around student schedules. Scholarships are essentially free money to pay for school. Loans are funded by governments or private lenders. There are two different types of loans: Subsidized and Unsubsidized. For subsidized loans, students won’t be charged interest while they’re enrolled in school and during their grace period (about six months). For unsubsidized loans, interest starts accumulating from the date of their first loan disbursement. 
 
If students have any questions or need help regarding Financial Aid, they can reach Fairmont State’s Office of Financial Aid at: 

Turley Student Services Center 

Room 303 

Phone: (800) 641-5678, Opt. 2 (304) 367-4141 

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