FAFSA is the Key!
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the key that opens the door to financial aid.
Even if you are not sure that you will need financial aid, we recommend that you fill out a FAFSA 
anyway — it's free.
You can complete the FAFSA online. In contrast to a hard copy, the online form displays only the data entry fields you need to complete.
You also receive directions as you need them.
You will need a printer to print the signature page, which requires your signature and that of at least one parent if you're a dependent or of your spouse if you're married.
Alternatively, you can opt for the PIN feature to sign the FAFSA without using paper.
If you prefer to fill out a hard copy of the FAFSA, you can obtain one by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID.
The FAFSA may not be the only form required to receive an award letter from a school. You must also complete the admissions process.
Check the schools' websites or their financial aid materials for more information.
After you complete your FAFSA, your Student Aid Report (SAR) should arrive in the mail within two to three weeks if you have filed a paper FAFSA.
Otherwise, you will receive an electronic SAR Information Acknowledgement.
The SAR is the result of your FAFSA.
Read it immediately and follow any directions.
The schools you list on the FAFSA will also receive results.
The electronic SAR will be sent to the e-mail address provided on the FAFSA.
You may log onto GAcollege411's FAFSA Transfer Module to have your name, address, and other information entered automatically for you on the FAFSA on the Web .
You then complete the rest of the FAFSA online with income, family size, and other information.
You may also go directly to FAFSA on the Web and bypass the Transfer Module if you want to make all the entries yourself.
Molly Johnson is a senior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
She says that it's worthwhile to complete the FAFSA each year because family circumstances can change.
This year, her younger sister and her mother both enrolled in college, which increased the family's level of need.
"I've filled it out every year, just in case, and this is the first year I saw any direct financial aid because of that," Johnson says.
Josh Stacey, a student at Kansas State University in Salina, Kansas, says it's important to complete the form before the deadline.
If you don't, you jeopardize your chances of getting aid.
"This year we were late, which is the worst-case scenario," he says.