Sallie Mae Reminds College Bound Students: Put FAFSA at the Top of Your New Years Resolution List

Sallie Mae, the nations No. 1 financial services company
specializing in education, encourages high school seniors and other
college-bound students to make completing the FAFSA part of their
New Years resolution checklist. The form for the 2012-13 academic
year will become available on Jan. 1. The FAFSA, which stands for
Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is a must-do for students
looking to tap not only federal aid but also most state and
institutional aid. To help make it easier for students, Sallie Mae
offers free tips and how-to videos at SallieMae.com/Fafsa.
According to Sallie Maes How America Pays for College national
study, 80 percent of undergraduates completed the FAFSA last
academic year, the highest percentage since the research series
began. Still, that leaves 20 percent who did not complete the form
and may potentially miss out on federal or state aid. While the
form for the 2012-13 academic year asks virtually the same 100-plus
personal and financial questions as in the past, the Department of
Education and IRS recently made the form easier to complete online
and now enable electronic transfer of tax form data from the IRS to
the FAFSA form. FAFSA deadlines differ by state, with the earliest
on Feb. 15 in Connecticut, quickly followed by California, Idaho,
Indiana, Maryland and Michigan in early March, to name a few.
Students should also consult their schools website to see when it
requires FAFSA or other financial data as part of its aid and
scholarship award process. Sallie Mae (NASDAQ: SLM) is the nations
No. 1 financial services company specializing in education. Whether
college is a long way off or just around the corner, Sallie Mae
helps turn education dreams into reality for 25 million customers.
With products and services that include college savings programs,
scholarship search tools, education loans, tuition insurance, and
online banking, Sallie Mae offers solutions that help families
save, plan, and pay for college. Sallie Mae also provides financial
services to hundreds of college campuses as well as to federal and
state governments. Learn more at SallieMae.com. Commonly known as
Sallie Mae, SLM Corporation and its subsidiaries are not sponsored
by or agencies of the United States of America.