FAFSA FAQ
As of Monday.
2024 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) FAQ
What is happening with FAFSA?
In December, the federal Department of Education released a new FAFSA form that will calculate eligibility for federal aid (like Pell Grants) and federal student loans differently than in years past. In order for all colleges and universities—including Longwood—to determine your eligibility for financial aid, state financial aid, federal loans, and federal work study, the Department of Education must first send us information from your filed FAFSA form.
Typically, we begin receiving this information much earlier in the process. This year, however, the Department of Education did not begin sending FAFSA information to colleges and universities until mid-March. We were alerted in early April that some of our students’ FAFSA information is incorrect and needs to be fixed so that we can ensure no one misses out on need-based aid they are eligible to receive.
This has put every college, university, and family in the same position: waiting until we have a significant number of correct FAFSA forms before we can start processing financial aid offers and sending them to you.
What does this mean for students and families?
For students whose FAFSA forms are correct, it means that we are working on putting together your financial aid offer as quickly as possible and will send it to you as soon as it is ready.
For students who have been told their FAFSA forms need to be corrected, it means it might take slightly longer to get your offer. The Department of Education has said it will fully make forms open to corrections sometime during the week of April 15. Once the corrected form has been sent to us, we will work on preparing your financial aid offer as soon as possible.
When will I receive my financial aid offer from Longwood?
For new students, we have begun to send financial aid offers to students whose forms are correct. You will receive an email with a personalized link if your offer is ready. Just click the link to open a PDF of your financial aid offer which you may download or print.
We have moved our deposit deadline to May 15 to give you more time to get your financial aid offer and decide your best higher education path.
For new students who need to make corrections to your FAFSA forms, you will have to wait slightly longer to receive your financial aid offer. The sooner you correct your FAFSA, the sooner we can process your offer.
For current students, you will have to wait until mid-May (after grades are posted) to receive your financial aid offer.
What if I need more time after I receive my financial aid package to make a decision?
We at Longwood understand that some students and families are going to need more time to consider all the offers from schools before they make their decision. We’ve extended the deposit deadline to May 15 so you have the time you need to make the right decision. If you need more time, just let us know.
We're happy to help you understand your aid offer from Longwood and even compare it to other schools with you. Just email [email protected] or call 434-395-2077 and we’ll be happy to talk it through.
Does this affect my university merit scholarships (Presidential, Provost’s, Dean’s, Rotunda Award, Lancer Distinction Award), athletic scholarships, Cormier Honors College scholarships, or other non-federal award?
No, while those awards are part of your overall financial offer, they are not impacted by federal or state aid or loans. If you have been awarded one of the scholarships listed above, they will stay the same no matter the FAFSA information we receive.
Will I know if Longwood has been sent my FAFSA information?
There are two ways you can find out if your FAFSA information has been sent to us.
First, you should get an email from the Department of Education when your FAFSA information begins to be sent to universities. (Note that not all universities you choose to send your information to may receive it on the same day.)
Second, you can look in the Department of Education’s FAFSA portal. When you can view your FAFSA Submission Summary, it has been processed by DOE and will become available to institutions.
How will I know when Longwood has processed my FAFSA information?
New Students: You can log into your Longwood Admissions portal. If the “Submit the FAFSA" box on the Next Steps Checklist is checked, we have processed your FAFSA information and are preparing to share it with you. Because we are working on a compressed timeline, it may take some time to process your FAFSA information. We know you’re eager to have all the information to make a decision about higher education, and we are eager to welcome you to Longwood! We appreciate your patience as we process this information as quickly and as accurately as possible.
Current Students: You’ll need to log into myLongwood and select the Financial Aid tab and Financial Aid Status/Eligibility. Next, choose Student Requirements and select aid year 2024-2025 Academic Year. In the Eligibility Requirements section, under Satisfied Requirements, you will see FAFSA Submission Summary. The status will indicate if Longwood has received and processed your FAFSA and the date that occurred.
How long will it take Longwood to process my FAFSA information and share my Financial Aid offer with me?
We will share financial aid offers with students and families as soon as we possibly can—hopefully, that means by late April. That timeline depends solely on how quickly the Department of Education can get us a substantial portion of the FAFSA information we need.
New students who need to make corrections to their FAFSA forms will have to wait slightly longer to receive their financial aid offer. The faster you make corrections, the faster we can process the forms and get an offer to you.
In the meantime, we will continue to communicate with you as this process unfolds. We know that uncertainty about such a major decision can cause students and family members to become anxious, so we are here to help. You can call our financial aid office at (434) 395-2077 or email [email protected], and we will talk you through the process and answer any questions you might have.
How will I receive my financial aid offer?
You will receive an email with a personalized link. Just click the link to open a PDF of your financial aid offer which you may download or print.
I got the email from the Department of Education that my FAFSA information has been sent to Longwood, but the box in my Admissions Portal isn’t checked.
As soon as we begin to receive FAFSA information from the Department of Education, we’ll begin processing. We expect a heavy influx of data in March, however, so it may take some time to process everyone’s information. We know you’re eager to have all the information to make a decision about higher education, and we are eager to welcome you to Longwood! We appreciate your patience as we process this information as quickly and as accurately as possible.
I need to correct my FAFSA form. Can I do that now?
The Department of Education has let us know that families who need to make corrections to their FAFSA forms will be able to do so “in the coming days,” with limited access at first, then “broadly available” at some point the week of April 15.
For most applicants, the corrections should only take a few minutes, so we urge you to check the website at www.studentaid.gov regularly over the coming days to ensure you get your FAFSA submitted correctly so that we can process it as quickly as possible. We cannot process your financial aid offer without a completed and corrected FAFSA.
How can you correct your FAFSA?
- Log into your account at www.studentaid.gov
- A list of items that need to be corrected will be noted as “Action Required”
- Correct the items and re-submit
- When the necessary items are corrected, your FAFSA application status will be “Processed.”
I accepted my student Direct Loans in myLongwood, do I need to do anything else?
For incoming students that’s the first step. The next step is to login to your StudentAid.gov account (be sure to have your PIN handy) to complete your Entrance Counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note.
For returning students who have received a student Direct Loan in the past 12 months, you only need to accept the Direct Loans you want to take in myLongwood.
For returning students who have never taken a student Direct Loan, or have not received funds from a student Direct Student Loan in the last 12 months, you have two more steps to take. Login to your StudentAid.gov account (be sure to have your PIN handy) to complete your Entrance Counseling and sign the Master Promissory Note.
Longwood will be notified by StudentAid.gov once a student completes all the loan requirements. We expect to start receiving this information in our system by the first week of June.
My student accepted the Federal Direct PLUS Loans (for parents) in myLongwood. Do I need to do anything else?
Yes, you will need to apply for a parent PLUS Loan with StudentAid.gov. The application process includes a credit check and once approved the completion of a Master Promissory Note. Be sure to review the “Things You Should Know Before You Continue” section on the parent PLUS Loan site.
Do I have to accept the full amount of the loans I am offered, either the student Direct Loan or Parent Federal Loan (PLUS)?
No, we recommend you only take out the minimum amount of the loan you need to cover your educational expenses for the 2024-25 academic year. When you accept a loan in myLongwood you can enter any amount up to the maximum amount offered. You can do the same thing in StudentAid.gov, or leave it blank and we will use the amount indicated in myLongwood.
Longwood will be notified by StudentAid.gov once a Parent completes all the loan requirements. We expect to start receiving this information in our system by the first week of June.
I am a current student. When will I have access to my financial offer?
We expect to process most students’ financial aid offers the week of May 27. Details of the offer will appear in myLongwood. Students will receive an email when the offer is updated.