National Education Association
1201 16th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C, 20036

The College Board
45 Columbus Avenue
New York, NY 10023-6992
(212) 713-8000
http://www.collegeboard.org

Student Aid News
News and information for all phases of financial aid.
http://www.educationdaily.com/pages/catalog/san2.html

FinAid!
http://www.finaid.org

CollegiateFunding.com, http://www.collegiatefunding.com, is a free resourcedesigned to guide students and parents through the various aspects of the financial aid process. Contains basic information on applying for financial aid and locating scholarships.

Free forms
(also available at public libraries, the financial aid office of schools, high school guidance offices):

The U.S. Department of Education's
Fast Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency's (PHEAA's)
"Application for Pennsylvania State Grant and Federal Student Aid." Available at their web site: http://www.pheaa.org

The Illinois Student Assistance Commission's (ISAC)
"Application for Federal and State Student Aid" (AFSSA). Available at their web site: http://www.isac-online.org or you may contact the Commission at:

Illinois Student Assistance Commission
1755 Lake Cook Road
Deerfield, IL 60015-5209
(800) 899-ISAC

The United Student Aid Funds' (USAF)
Loan forms are available at their web site: http://www.usagroup.com

Fast Aid-Listing of each state, and their specific deadlines, forms and offices for student financial aid.

http://www.fastaid.com/finaid/addressbook2.htm

FAFSA Express is a software program that will allow you to fill out your financial aid application on a computer with a modem. http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/express.html

Forms applying for non-federal aid (charge processing fee):

The College Scholarship Service's CSS Profile. Available at their web site: http://www.collegeboard.org/finaid/fastaff/profile/html/indx000.html

The American College Testing Program's "Family Financial Statement" (FFS) is available at their web site: http://www.act.org

The Student Aid Application for California (SACC): check the California Student Aid Commission web site: http://www.csac.ca.gov/, a guide to Financial Aid programs and services for California Residents.

WARNING: All forms listed can be used for applying for federal aid, but individual schools may require a specific form for applying for nonfederal aid. Check with the schools where you are applying.

If you are an independent student, there are several important criteria that a student applying for financial aid must meet in order to qualify for "independent" status. If you meet these criteria, your parents' income and financial assets will not be considered when determining financial aid eligibility.

You are automatically considered an independent student if you:

• Are at least 24 years old by December 31 of the award year;
• Are a Veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces;
• Are an orphan or ward of the court;
• Have legal dependents other than a spouse and pay at least half of his/her support.

If you are a single undergraduate student (not meeting any of the above criteria), and have earned at least $4,000 (both taxed and untaxed) for the past two calendar years and have not been claimed as a dependent on your parents' tax return for the previous two calendar years, you may qualify. Also, if you are married and are not longer being claimed as a dependent by your parents, you may qualify for independent status.

If you claim to be an independent student, you may be asked to prove it before you are awarded any federal student aid. The aid administrator at your school has the authority to change your status (if you think you have a special circumstance) from dependent to independent. This decision is based on their opinion and the decision is final. There are no appeals. The contribution of an independent student is based on two factors only: the student's income and assets.