Students are encouraged to fill out the Free Application for Federal Aid (FAFSA) and to take advantage of Colorado Mesa University (CMU) and CMU-donor scholarships.
The application requires students to fill out the prior-prior year tax information for themselves and their parents if they are a dependent student.“Prior-prior year” means that for the 2022-2023 aid year, applicants will need to provide their 2020 (two years prior to 2022) tax information.
Independent students only have to submit their personal tax information. Those who are unsure of their dependency status can verify on the FAFSA website under the “Filling Out the FAFSA” tab.
The FAFSA has to be renewed every year in order to receive any grants and federal student loans.
“Even if a student filled out a 2021-2022 FAFSA, they will need to renew it for 2022-2023 to be eligible for any aid that school year,” IRIS Peer Advisor Baylie Persson said.
The application for the 2022-2023 school year opened on Oct. 1 and will officially close on Sept. 10, 2023. That date is the last possible to complete the FAFSA, but bills are always due before then for Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. For CMU based scholarships, the FAFSA will need to be completed before Dec. 31.
If a student gets locked out of their FAFSA account, they must seek assistance from the FAFSA Help Center as CMU’s financial aid departments do not have access to that information.
CMU offers unique scholarship opportunities through their Scholarship Application on MavZone. Students can complete the General Application, which is available to all students. The application puts students in the running for all CMU foundation scholarships.
Students can also apply for individual scholarships through CMU Opportunities and CMU Donors through the same app. The deadline to turn in applications is Dec. 31 and recipients will be notified in April. When filling out applications, there are certain things students can do to improve their chances of receiving assistance.
Students are encouraged to get involved in campus extracurriculars, this may open the door for scholarships. The quality of writing in a scholarship application can also factor into the final decision. The Writing Center located in Houston Hall is a great resource for writing assistance and editing.
“When you’re doing a scholarship application, many require an essay. Believe it or not, I’ve seen 4.0 students miss out on scholarship opportunities because their essay wasn’t well written,” CMU Associate Director of Financial Aid Curt Martin said. “Always have someone proofread your essay.”
According to Forbes, national student debt is an all time high $1.6 trillion. The more scholarships students apply for, the more likely they are to receive financial assistance. Take advantage of the resources there to help you.
