The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application priority deadline is Saturday, March 10. By completing the FAFSA, applicants will automatically be considered for most federal and state grants, federal loans, and federal work-study, for the 2012-2013 academic year.

“I would like to stress to our students that during this economic time it is important they pursue every dollar available to them. As such, in addition to the IU and IU Foundation scholarship application available online, we encourage every student to file the FAFSA to see what they might be eligible for,” said Sarah Soper, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

Soper added that students and parents are also encouraged to transfer their financial data directly from the IRS. IU East will hold a special FAFSA session to help with this process in early May.

“This means students, particularly those wanting state aid, will need to go ahead and initially file by March 10 but can then come back to make those corrections and updates with help from trained staff. Date and time for this event will be announced in mid-April,” Soper said.

FAFSA applications may be completed online at www.fafsa.gov. Students may request a paper copy from the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID.  Paper applications must be received by the federal processor by March 10, 2012, to be considered on-time for the IU East priority deadline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the FAFSA online if possible.

The IU East school code for the application is 001811. The 2012-13 FAFSA is used to award aid for fall 2012, spring 2013 and summer 2013.

The FAFSA is required of all financial aid students and must be completed each year by the deadline. Assistance in the form of counseling is available throughout the academic year and summer sessions from the Office of Financial Aid.

Freshman students will receive Financial Aid Award Notification by mail. Undergraduate and graduate students will receive award notification by e-mail. Changes to the submitted application must be made to the processor and cleared by May 15.

For more information, contact the Office of Financial Aid at (765) 973-8206 or go online to iue.edu/finaid.