Applications are now available for the coming academic year 2012-2013 (Summer 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013). If you have all the information you need, FILE IT NOW.

Applications are also still available on the web for the current academic year 2011-2012 (Summer 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012).

In addition to the federal and state deadlines for completing an application, there are deadlines related to any federal aid you might otherwise be eligible for. Examples include but are not limited to those related to attendance, when your application information gets to CUNY, continued enrollment, end of the semester, grades. There are also some program-specific deadlines. Be aware that some aid programs aid through us are awarded CUNY-wide from limited funding for that program given to the university by the federal government; when the funds are fully committed to students, no aid remains for later applicants. For some sources of aid, this can happen in the spring or the summer.

HOW DO I APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID?

Get and Use Your Federal PIN
You (and one of your parents, if you have to file as a DEPENDENT STUDENT) should get a federal personal identification number, or PIN, and use your PINs to sign your FAFSA electronically. Request a PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. You will be able to view your PIN instantly online or have it sent to you immediately by email.

File a FAFSA - FREE on the FAFSA Website
Start the process of applying for most types of federal financial aid by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). ** DO NOT go to other websites that require payment for your FAFSA filing, and DO NOT pay anyone to complete your FAFSA for you. **

Sign in using your federal financial aid PIN.

Be sure to select and file the correct year's FAFSA on the web.

Use the correct year's income for that application. Applications for 2011-2012 require 2010 income information; applications for 2012-2013 require 2011 income information.

Collect all necessary information before starting the application process. This includes your and your parents' tax returns, W2 forms, records of untaxed income, asset information, date of birth, Social Security numbers.

>>> IMPORTANT NOTE FOR 2012-2013: The federal government has made major changes to the FAFSA on the web application and income verification processes for 2012-2013; these changes are designed to make it easier for you to enter correct tax return information on your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. It is important to use it if you are eligible to do so. <<<

Answer all questions carefully, don't guess at the answers, and don't leave any blanks.

Use the CHAT and HELP features on each page to clarify if you're not sure what you should enter where.

The U.S. Department of Education strongly recommends that students and families use FAFSA on the web to apply for federal student aid. Electronic filing is the fastest, easiest, and most accurate way for you to apply. The FAFSA website guides you through the questions you need to answer and stops you if you miss a required item or enter an invalid answer. This system helps insure that your application is completed properly. Answer each question carefully and check any needed documentation first.

Provide a Valid Email Address
If you provide a valid email address when you file your application, you will receive an email with a URL to access your application results. If you and your parents used a PIN to sign your FAFSA and there are no other problems with your application information, you may receive this email notification in as little as 24 to 72 hours.

If You Don't Use a PIN
If you or one of your parents does not sign your electronic FAFSA using a PIN, you must print and mail a signature page to the federal processor to confirm the validity of the information provided on your application.

We recommend that you and a parent use PINs to sign your FAFSA instead of printing and mailing a signature page. Having to mail a signature page can lengthen application processing time by several weeks.

Transfer Students
If you have already applied for financial aid for the current academic year, check both your FAFSA and TAP applications to make sure that you have selected Queens College as a school of choice, so that we may process your aid information. The federal college code for the FAFSA is 002690. The college code for the TAP application is 1416. Aid does not automatically transfer from school to school, and processes completed with one school may need to be taken care of again with us. Read carefully our transfer information page in order to avoid problems.

What Do I Do Next?
When you have finished entering your application data and are ready to submit your FAFSA, don't just SAVE your information. SUBMIT it. You will be taken to a confirmation page that will give you a confirmation number and an estimate of your federal aid eligibility. Print a copy of this page for your records along with a copy of your application information.

It's Not Over Yet: File Your New York State TAP on the Web Application
Click on the link for New York State residents, located below the federal confirmation number on the confirmation page. You will be linked to TAP on the web. This allows you to file for New York State tuition assistance programs for full-time and part-time students.

[Note: If you did not indicate on the FAFSA that you meet the definition of New York State resident, this option will not be available to you.]

The NY State TAP application site asks you to establish a NY State TAP PIN.

If you do not complete the TAP on the web application when you file your FAFSA on the web, you will be sent an email or postcard by NY State with a the URL to file an electronic TAP on the Web application - after your FAFSA is processed.

Follow Up

Check the email address you used on your FAFSA and TAP applications and follow all instructions. If you don't receive email from the FAFSA processor, check your SPAM folder.

Return to the FAFSA and TAP sites to check for details on the status of your application; go beyond verifying that it was filed. Often there is additional documentation required and requested. See more on other important ways to FOLLOW UP on your application and eligibility status through the FAFSA site, the TAP site, and CUNY systems--you'll find details on the main menu of our website.

Pay careful attention to Bursar's instructions about billing due dates and payment options for financial aid students.

Some Aid Programs Require Additional Application Steps
Note that to request aid under some of our programs, you must complete additional steps. See our main page for detailed information.

Can I File Using Paper Applications?
We and the federal government strongly discourage you from using a paper FAFSA. The web filing process can make applying more accurate, as well as faster and easier. There is NO paper TAP application. HOWEVER, you may apply for federal financial aid by completing and mailing a paper FAFSA. Information and downloads for paper filing is available at http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/forms.jsp. Initial processing of a mailed paper FAFSA is slow--it can take four to six weeks before CUNY receives any information about you.

Make sure that Queens College [federal school code 002690] is listed among your college choices in the Releases and Signatures portion of the FAFSA application.

Your TAP application will still have to be completed on the web. After your paper FAFSA is processed, you will be sent an email or postcard with a link to a TAP on the web application. When you are filling it out, check to see that Queens College [TAP school code 1416] is listed as your college of choice.