Traditional Undergraduate Program
(applicable to Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Summer 2014)
Click here to view the Lakeland College Traditional Undergraduate Program 2013-2014 Financial Aid Guide (PDF, 200kB)
For maximum consideration of financial aid, the following steps are required:
- Be accepted for Admission to Lakeland College.
- Complete the 2013-2014 FAFSA (priority date is March 15, 2013).
- Lakeland College Financial Aid Traditional Undergraduate Application 2012-2013 (priority date is March 1, 2013).
- Applicable to returning traditional undergraduate students only! You must login with your my.lakeland username and password to gain access to the application. New traditional undergraduate students for 2013-2014 do not need to complete this application.
- Promptly submit any additional information requested.
1. Be Prepared.
- Complete your 2012 taxes. Both you and your parents will need to do this. It is best to fill out the FAFSA using your completed taxes. If federal taxes for 2012 are not yet completed, you may use estimated data initially. See specific instructions on how to include your tax data on the 'Complete your FAFSA' section below.
- Apply for a PIN. You and your parents should apply for a Personal identification number (PIN) online to serve as your electronic signatures on your FAFSA application. Click Here To Apply For a Pin
- FAFSA On The Web Worksheet. Use the 2013-2014 FAFSA on the web Pre-Application Worksheet to assist you and your parents in collecting information for questions asked on the online FAFSA. Click Here
2. Complete your FAFSA
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at your earliest convenience. Priority is given to those completed by March 15, 2013.
There are two ways to complete your FAFSA, online or paper. The online method is recommended, as the processing time is faster.
Online: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ - processing time 1-2 weeks - Recommended method
- We encourage you to use complete your FAFSA on the web.
- Lakeland College's school code is 003854.
- Including 2012 Federal Income Tax data on the FAFSA:
- It is recommended to use the IRS Data Retrieval process to load the tax information onto the FAFSA.
- Estimated Tax information can be used initially in cases where official tax documents are not yet completed. When official tax information is available the FAFSA must be updated using the correction method on-line at the FAFSA website. It is recommended to use the IRS Data Retrieval process to load the corrected tax information onto the FAFSA.
- February 3, 2013 The IRS (Internal Revenue Service) Data Retrieval process will be available in the income sections of the 2012-13 FAFSA. The IRS data will be available to retrieve in the FAFSA approximately 2 weeks after the taxes were filed electronically or 6-8 weeks after the taxes were filed by paper.
- Verification: If your file is selected for verification by the Department of Education after submitting the FAFSA, you will be asked to provide additional documentation. Copies of 2012 Federal Tax Returns are no longer acceptable to satisfy the verification requirements. The government requires that parents and students either use the IRS Data Retrieval process as noted above or request a Federal Tax Return Transcript (directly from the IRS, no charge) to fulfill the federal verification requirements. More detailed information will be provided if selected to be verified.
- Be sure you and your parents sign your FAFSA.
- Print a copy of your completed FAFSA for your records.
Paper version - processing time 2-4 weeks
- If online access is not available, paper FAFSA's are only available from the U.S. Department of Education by calling 1 (800) 433-3243.
- Lakeland College's school code is 003854.
- Be sure you and your parents sign your FAFSA.
- Make a copy of your completed FAFSA for your records.
- Mail your FAFSA to the Department of Education.
3. Follow up.
- Once the Department of Education receives and processes your FAFSA, you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). This is a record of your FAFSA, review it for accuracy.
- The SAR will show your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculated by the information you provided on your FAFSA. The EFC is the amount determined by the Department of Education that your family is expected to contribute to your education for the upcoming year.
- During the application process, you may be asked to verify the information reported on the FAFSA. We will request the appropriate documentation from you, if necessary.
- If you have special circumstances, you may submit them in writing to the Financial Aid Office Click Here. (PDF, 302kB)
- Once your financial aid file is complete, your final financial aid award will be emailed/mailed to you.
NOTE: If you do not want to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you may still be awarded a Lakeland College scholarship; please contact the Financial Aid Office.
