INDIANA — The Indiana Commissioner for Higher Education has announced the extension of the March 10, financial aid filing deadline. The deadline will now be extended to April 15, this year in response to recent issues with a federal data retrieval tool that complicated the process for families attempting to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.

Beyond determining eligibility for state and federal financial aid, colleges use information from the FAFSA to determine their scholarship awards. Filing the FAFSA is particularly important for Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars who will not receive their scholarship that pays for up to four years of college tuition without completing the FAFSA.

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is committed to continued outreach in partnership with local high schools, colleges and community organizations to alert students of the extension and provide assistance to students who still need to file.

Filing the FAFSA

The fastest and easiest way to file the FAFSA is online. To complete the FAFSA, you will need your Social Security Number, your 2015 federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned and a FSA ID to sign electronically. NOTE: Dependent students need this same information for their parent(s). The U.S. Department of Education provides email and live chat assistance for FAFSA filers as well as a helpline at 1-800-4FED-AID.

More FAFSA Help for Hoosiers

Hoosier families can find FAFSA-related help via phone at 1-888-528-4719, email ([email protected]), Twitter (twitter.com/learnmorein), Facebook (facebook.com/learnmorein) or online at LearnMoreIndiana.org/cost.