Getting Married in 2012? When should you file your FAFSA?
The FAFSA is a "snap shot" of your status on the day you submit it. Therefore, report your marital status as of the day you submit the FAFSA. Students who marry later in 2012 will have an opportunity to update their marital status on the FAFSA to reflect their marriage. This opportunity is new for 2012-2013.
All currently enrolled students are strongly encouraged to complete the 2012-2013 FAFSA between now and March 15th so you may be considered a Priority Applicant. Only Priority Applicants are considered for work-study funding, Perkins Loans, and need-based scholarships.
If you change your marital status after submitting the 2012-2013 FAFSA, you will need to prompt the Financial Aid Office to review your updated FAFSA because it will initially be "rejected" by the federal FAFSA processor.
A student may or may not have more desirable financial aid after changing their marital status on the FAFSA. Upon request from the student, a financial aid counselor will compare the new FAFSA transaction to the prior FAFSA from which aid was initially determined. The counselor will share the impact on the types and amounts of financial aid the student is eligible to receive.
If changing the FAFSA to show "married," the student will need to add the spouse's 2011 income information to the application. An EFC calculator has been provided at the bottom of this screen in case you wish to compare before and after marriage calculations.