[NASSGAPnonmember] 2017-18 State Deadlines Request -- Response needed by February 5, 2016

[DEGEN Susan]

 <<Draft State Deadlines 2017-2018.xlsx>> 
Happy New Year!  

Each year, the US Department of Education works directly with NASSGAP to collect state-level information about grant and scholarship deadlines provided to students via the FAFSA. This year, we are also working with Jeff Baker and FSA staff on related issues, including “prior-prior year,” early FAFSA, and FAFSA masking. The Department's Early FAFSA effort will make 2017-18 FAFSAs available to students starting October 1, 2016, so they also need to collect states' deadlines much earlier than in the past. We wanted to share the following request with nonmembers of NASSGAP so we can provide the Department with comprehensive information from as many states as possible. 

NASSGAP’s ED Technical Forms Committee has already received the annual request from the US Department of Education for state FAFSA deadlines for the 2017-18 academic year. Yes, 2017-18 academic year! These dates will appear online in FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) as well as on the “paper” FAFSA. We have about a month to collect everyone’s dates before we submit a list of states' deadlines to the  Department. This request from the US Department of Education is months earlier than in past years because the 2017-18 FAFSA will be available October 1, 2016.

Attached  is an Excel document for you to indicate your states’ deadlines for the 2017-18 FAFSA. Please  note there are TWO tabs on this worksheet: one marked Paper (i.e., for the paper FAFSA) and one marked FOTW  (i.e., FAFSA on the Web).  At the top of the spreadsheet, there are three symbols and text on the paper FAFSA that translate into text for FOTW. For example, if a state chooses to use the + symbol on the paper FAFSA, the state must include the following text for their FOTW deadline: “Applicants encouraged to keep a record of their submission by printing out their online FAFSA confirmation page or obtaining proof of mailing the FAFSA.”  These codes haven’t changed for several years, but it’s still important to note these – especially if your state deadlines have changed.

Please note too that the text “date received”on the paper FAFSA equates to “by midnight, Central Time” for FOTW. The Department's Central Processing System (CPS) is located in the Central time zone, so we cannot modify states’ information to indicate different times or time zones. For states outside of the Central Time zone, actual time will be one or more hours before or after midnight in your time zone. This could be important to last-minute applicants. If they wish, states can request that the deadline date appear without the “by midnight,  Central Time” message by indicating that they want only the date.

Please insert your new text for 2017-18 in column D of BOTH worksheets (Paper & FOTW).  If you are only updating the year, you can also just indicate “no change."  You may indicate multiple deadlines for different programs, if applicable. NASSGAP will compile the responses and circulate a final draft for review the week of February 1, just before we submit it to ED.

Please send you 2017-18 deadlines to one or both of us by close of business on Thursday, February 5, 2016.  We need to hear from every state!

Please let us know if you have any questions.

(See attached file: Draft State Deadlines 2017-2018.xlsx)

Best regards,

Susan Degen
Jason Chavez
NASSGAP ED Technical Forms Committee

susan.r.degen at state.or.us
jchavez at hesaa.org
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