What time should I fill out Need Access?

[brickmanli]

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Now that I'm done with FAFSA (thanks to all the financial aid gurus on SDN), what time should I be filling out the Need Access and the school's own financial aid applications? After interviews or after acceptance, or before both?

Hope this is a good question.

 

[Doctora Foxy]

This is a great question! Wish I knew the answer.... where's SMW when you need her?? :wink:

 

[SMW]

SMW to the rescue!! :wink: I'm about ready to file mine, as soon as I get back from this trip. Albany wanted it 2/1 (soft suggested deadline), but will take it up until 4/1. It's a lot more involved than FAFSA. 🙁 Other schools I know of that use NEED Acess are Mt. Sinai, SLU, U. Rochester. There are more, but those are the ones I'm applying to. I'd say it's even more essential to get these types of supplemental financial aid apps in early (yes, pre-acceptance even, lots of people don't get into schools until after these deadlines), because institutional money is more apt to dry up than federal. The schools probably won't look at it until they accept you, but you want to have it there the minute they do. And hey, maybe they will look at it, and say, hey, this kid's on the ball!!! 😀

 

[Scooby Doo]

WHAT exactly is NEED ACCESS????

What makes it different than FAFSA?
And I didn't know sinai did it!
argh!

 

[SMW]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Scooby Doo:
•WHAT exactly is NEED ACCESS????

What makes it different than FAFSA?
And I didn't know sinai did it!
argh!•••••It's an on-line financial aid application. Some schools that use it tell you not to put your parental info on FAFSA. Some want it on both. So unless you luck out and all your schools say don't put it on FAFSA, you have to put it on both. It's a pain in the rear because, it has all the same student and parental info as FAFSA, and then-some (and the then-some is HUGE). Go to <a href="http://www.accessgroup.org" target="_blank">www.accessgroup.org</a> to fill it out. Be sure to select the link at the bottom of the list for the NEED Access application, not the loan applications higher up. I recommend starting immediately. You won't believe how much info you have to gather for this one. 🙁

Don't say I never did anything for ya, Scooby!!! 😀