Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education Teresa Lubbers announced today that the state’s March 10th financial aid filing deadline would be extended to April 15 this year in response to recent issues with a federal data retrieval tool that complicated the process for families attempting to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

“This is an excellent opportunity for Hoosiers who missed last Friday’s deadline to complete the FAFSA and qualify for financial aid that makes college more affordable,” Lubbers said. “All prospective college students—whether they’re a high school senior, a current college student or a returning adult—should complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.”

Beyond determining eligibility for state and federal financial aid, colleges use information from the FAFSA to determine their scholarship awards. Filing the FAFSA is particularly important for Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars who will not receive their scholarship that pays for up to four years of college tuition without completing the FAFSA.

“Nearly one third of our students receive some type of Indiana state grant,” said USF Director of Financial Aid Michelle Nisun, “so this, in combination with the increased state grant funding this year will likely increase the number of high school students who will be able to pursue their career goals this year.”

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is committed to continued outreach in partnership with local high schools, colleges and community organizations to alert students of the extension and provide assistance to students who still need to file.

Filing the FAFSA

The fastest and easiest way to file the FAFSA is online at www.fafsa.gov. To complete the FAFSA, students will need: 1) Social Security Number; 2) 2015 federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned; and 3) An FSA ID to sign electronically. NOTE: Dependent students need this same information for their parent(s). The U.S. Department of Education provides email and live chat assistance for FAFSA filers as well as a helpline at 1-800-4FED-AID.

More FAFSA Help for Hoosiers

Hoosier families can find FAFSA-related help via phone at 1-888-528-4719, email (awards), Twitter (twitter.com/learnmorein), Facebook (facebook.com/learnmorein) or online at LearnMoreIndiana.org/cost.