Save the date JMU financial aid calls for students to complete FAFSA before priority filing ends

By SARAH ECCLESTON The Breeze

As the priority filing date for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) nears, the JMU Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Brad Barnett urges students who are returning for the 2023-24 school year to apply on the Federal Student Aid website before the March 1 deadline.

“I would suggest they [students] do that as soon as possible just so they don’t run into any problems,” Barnett said.

Barnett recommends students file early so they have a chance to be awarded more grants and loans — FAFSA works on a first-come, firstserve basis. However, students are still able to fill out the application throughout the school year, he said. This is especially important for in-state students, who are eligible for more aid than outof-state students.

“Meeting that March 1 deadline means you have ample time to get all your financial aid set up before your return next fall,” Barnett said.

Barnett added that if students are worried about the length of time it’ll take to fill out the form, they can connect the FAFSA to their IRS information so all of their tax and income information can be dropped into the application. However, W2s from two years prior to the filing year — in this case 2021 — are needed to fill out the FAFSA in addition to the IRS information.

In the 2024-25 school year, a student can enter their social security number, name and birthday for their IRS information to be automatically uploaded to the application. However, according to the Federal Student Aid website, it should take less than an hour to fill out either way.

When filling out the application, students can use the built-in tools and tutorials. While filling out the FAFSA, Barnett said students can visit JMU’s financial aid website or reach out to FAFSA itself or contact the university directly by phone.

Without filling out the FAFSA, Barnett said students hoping to get need-based scholarships on the JMU Scholarship hub can’t be considered.

Barnett said the most common reason he’s seen for students not filling out the FASFA is that they forget. For this reason, he said, JMU financial aid sends reminders to students and parents by email and text so it won’t be easy for them to forget.

“Sometimes it’s very easy to let something slip that you only do on an annual basis,” Barnett said. “We’re trying to get the word out as much as we can so people will just remember to do it.”

CONTACT Sarah Eccleston at ecclessk@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more coverage of JMU and Harrisonburg news, follow the news desk on Twitter @BreezeNewsJMU.