A message from the financial aid office:
Starting with the 2017–18 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), these changes will be in effect:
You will be able to submit your FAFSA earlier. You can file your 2017–18 FAFSA as early as Oct. 1, 2016, rather than beginning on Jan. 1, 2017. The earlier submission date will be a permanent change, enabling you to complete and submit a FAFSA as early as Oct. 1 every year.
You will use earlier income and tax information. Beginning with the 2017–18 FAFSA, students will be required to report income and tax information from an earlier tax year. For example, on the 2017–18 FAFSA, you and your parent(s) will report your 2015 income and tax information, rather than your 2016 income and tax information.
The Financial Aid office is urging all students to please update their already filed 2016–17 FAFSA now to link the tax data for 2015 onto the processed forms before filing the 2017–18 FAFSA after Oct. 1.
For more information, please visit the Q&A section at http://www.ship.edu/financial_aid/.
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