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The 2019-2020 FAFSA application is now available. The government has taken several steps to try to make the FAFSA process easier: 

  • You don’t have to wait for your parents to complete their 2018 taxes to fill out the FAFSA application. The tax information that you need to provide is now from the “prior–prior” year. What this means is that for the 2019-2020 year, you will use 2017 tax information.
  • You can pull tax information from the IRS directly and securely into your FAFSA application by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool that’s embedded in the student tax section and in the parents’ tax section of your FAFSA application. 
  • FAFSA is now available on Oct. 1 each year! Don’t wait until January or later to submit it. Submitting a FAFSA application earlier means you can be awarded sooner, and you might be eligible for state aid if you also meet the state’s other requirements.
  • Check the Finances page of your Carthage portal at my.carthage.edu often until awarding is finished to see if additional paperwork is needed to process your financial aid. (“View Financial Aid Documents” and “View Financial Aid Awards”)
  • Remember: be proactive about your financial aid. Take stress off by learning what needs to be done and doing it.
  • Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid Planning at finaid@carthage.edu if you have any questions. We’re here to help!

Visit www.fafsa.gov to start your application!