FSEOG Tips: How to apply correctly the first time

If you’re applying for the FSEOG or Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant, you should know that all you really have to do to see if you qualify is fill out a FAFSA. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid is available at almost all colleges, universities, trade schools, technical schools, and medical/nursing schools. Filling out a FAFSA will also determine your eligibility for other federal programs, such as scholarships, work study, loans, and other grants besides the FSEOG.
Not everyone will qualify for all types of aid, so it’s important that you fill out the comprehensive FAFSA accurately in order to get the most money for college that is available to you.

Before you begin applying for the FSEOG and other programs available on the FAFSA, you should gather all information that might be needed. Because many federal programs like the FSEOG are only awarded to students with financial need, information about your assets and finances will be required. This could include tax returns, current loan information, paystubs, and statements from financial institutions. If you don’t have this information readily available when filling out the FAFSA, it will be more difficult and take longer to determine if you can get awards like the Pell grant or the FSEOG.

If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need the same information detailed above from your parents. This might seem like an unusual request, but it is required information as part of the FAFSA process. This is because federal programs are awarded with the understanding that a student’s educational expenses are to be shared between the government and the student’s family. On the FAFSA, you’ll encounter this request for information as the section entitled: Expected Family Contribution.

Once you’ve collected all of the necessary information, the next part of the process to determine your eligibility for the FSEOG is to fill out the entire FAFSA form accurately. Do not ignore fields or guess what the instructions or requests for information might mean. If you don’t know, you should ask. Most schools have financial aid officials who are dedicated to helping students obtain funding such as the FSEOG and are happy to answer any questions you might have.

The last step? Submit the FAFSA before the deadline, or you’ll have to wait until next term to be considered for the FSEOG.