The priority deadline for submitting the FAFSA to most Montana schools is December 1st.  

Montana students accustomed to completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at the beginning of the calendar year may now fill out this important form in the fall. The FAFSA will now be available October 1 of each year.

In September 2015, President Obama announced that change to the federal student aid process, along with the opportunity for families to use income information from their “prior-prior year’s” taxes to complete the FAFSA.

“This is a big change and Montana school administrators, counselors and financial aid officers are revising their processes to address the new circumstances of the FAFSA,” said Rhonda Safford, statewide coordinator of Reach Higher Montana College Goal, previously College Goal Montana. “But at Reach Higher Montana, we believe it will make filling out the FAFSA easier and less stressful for Montana families.”

For the full article click here.

If you’re a senior or the parent/guardian of a senior and want to get a jump start on the financial aid process, you can create your FSA ID now. This ID is used for filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and you’ll use the same ID every year that you complete the FAFSA.  Here are a few resources that provide a great overview for creating your ID and to the process of completing the FAFSA:

• Creating and Using the FSA ID
  
• Understanding the FAFSA
• The Guide to Federal Student Aid
• https://studentaid.ed.gov/fafsa

Need more help with the FAFSA?  Text FAFSAHELP to 41411.