OWU Celebrates New FAFSA by Giving You Money**

**terms and conditions apply. Sort of.

Nutshell:
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is better. File your FAFSA by Feb. 15, and OWU will automatically add $1,000 to your financial aid package. Go watch the Super Bowl.

Expanded:
The FAFSA form was once like being lost in a perpetually uphill maze. It was like pulling out your hair one strand at a time. It was like teaching a squirrel to recite Shakespeare. It was like--eh, you get the picture.

Now things have apparently changed for the better.

Many of you who have already filed a FAFSA may have noticed that the form has undergone a makeover. The Dept. of Education changed the form amid complaints that the old form was confusing, repetitive, and ultimately ineffective. The new FAFSA:

• Can be filed electronically
• Will have 30 instead of 120 questions, and students can skip non-applicable ones
• "Real time notification of aid amount and eligibility" to give families more time to plan
• Reduces burden on colleges to verify financial information

(Image taken from educationgrant.com)

USA says that what was once a 2-hour ordeal is now streamlined and easier to use. More pretty features: color coding for student and parent sections, more instantaneous information like Pell Grant and loan eligibility estimatations, and less duplication.

Applying for aid becomes easier for everyone, but especially for the 1.5 million low-income students who are eligible for aid but don't apply because, perhaps, of the "daunting" process.

Why are we telling you this? Well, firstly because a simplified FAFSA is like the last beautiful ten seconds of an anti-migraine commercial. Life is wonderful, and life loves you.

But more importantly, if you file before February 15, OWU will automatically add a $1,000 early bird bonus to your aid package. That's an extra grand simply for filing 2 weeks before our March 1 priority deadline.

I know.

So how can you file your FAFSA for Ohio Welseyan University?

1. First, gather all documents needed to file.
2. File electronically at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. OWU's Title IV code is 003109.
3. Apply for a PIN. A PIN is important. Find out why.
4. Brush off shoulders and do a happy dance, ESPECIALLY if you applied before Feb. 15.
   

Frank Palmasani over at Managing College Cost has some very useful tips to remember when filing your FAFSA. Check his blog for more vital information on getting the best financial aid package you can.

Finally, go to http://finaid.owu.edu/ for more options and types of aid provided by OWU and outside sources. You may be surprised at what you're eligible for.

Experiences with the new/old FAFSA you want to share? Comment below.

Now go watch the Super Bowl. Now, we're not really supposed to take sides, but let's just say that we hope people stop horsing around and play a "saintly" game. Wink. Nudge. Though we really shouldn't antagonize our next door neighbors...