The Financial Aid Priority Deadline: Why is It So Important?

As your Spring semester begins to get busy, it can be easy to forget about filing the 2018-2019 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to meet upcoming deadlines. One of those important deadlines is the priority deadline. For Stockton, our priority deadline for filing the FAFSA is March 1.

Why is the priority deadline so important? This deadline is the date returning students must file their FAFSA to receive priority consideration in the financial aid awarding process. Students who do not meet the deadline are considered for limited forms of financial aid. Priority funding may include State and Federal grants, as well as Federal work study funds. Filing your FAFSA early does not guarantee you will receive money from programs, such as the work study program, but it does increase the chances of receiving it. Students are highly encouraged to submit their FAFSA before the priority deadline, even if they only want to receive partial aid.

With the March 1 deadline approaching, the Office of Financial Aid is encouraging all students to submit their 2018-2019 FAFSA as soon as possible at www.fafsa.gov. Returning students who have successfully filed the FAFSA can expect to receive award notifications after the spring semester.

About Christopher Connors, Jr.

Chris Connors is Associate Director of Financial Aid at Stockton University. He received a bachelor’s degree in Business Management and a master’s degree in Instructional Technology from Stockton University. Chris is a member of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) and New Jersey Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NJASFAA). He is passionate about improving the use of technology within financial aid and uncomplicating the financial aid process for students and families.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *