For those needing to apply for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, they have until the end of the day on Tuesday, Jan. 15.
Education advocates are trying to spread the word that financial aid is not affected by the government shutdown. However, they are encouraging students to apply for financial aid as soon as possible.
“The earlier you apply, the best position you put yourself in to receive the maximum amount of aid to pursue your degree,” said Shannon Crossland, TTU interim executive director of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Braylee Lozano, a student at Texas Tech, said she is familiar with the FAFSA process. She said she has completed the form every year since she started college.
“The very first time I applied for financial aid, it was super hard, just because one I didn’t know how much money I was going to get, or if I was gonna get enough money,” Lozano said.
She said she did not realize how close the deadline was when she began her paperwork this year.
“I had to get all of our tax information and all those things just to get that done, because I had no idea that there was a deadline until yesterday,” Lozano said.
According to Texas Tech officials, the priority deadline is there to make sure students get the best aid possible.
“We have also received guidance from the office of education for verification students who can turn in tax returns instead of the required tax transcripts,” Crossland said.
Although the Department of Education is not impacted by the government shutdown, some government agencies are running slower than normal, Crossland said.
She said this is part of the reason student’s shouldn’t wait until the last minute.
“Some of departments or agencies within the department, like for the Department of Defense that are shutdown, some of the fafsas are being held up but once the government reopens they’ll go ahead and reprocess those,” Crossland said.
For more information about financial aid at Texas Tech, visit www.depts.ttu.edu/
