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It's that time of the year again for college students to start filing taxes and thinking about how they are going to pay for school for the following school year. Most college students will apply for FREE Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). This is the application that allows students to get government funding and scholarships to pay for their education. Every time you file your FAFSA it is good for one year starting July 1 until June 30 of the following year. The funds you receive based off your FAFSA are need based. You can't file your FAFSA until you have filed your taxes because it all runs together! The FAFSA is the application that 99% of the universitys and colleges accept. There are a few that do not accept it but those schools are very rare!
The FAFSA is available online at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/.(NOT .com, NOT .org, NOT .anything else!) There are several documents you will need to have avaliable during your filing time. You will need to have your parents information as well if they are the ones who support you.

The documents are:
1. Social Security card
2. Driver’s license (if any)
3. Permanent Resident Receipt Card (if applicable)
4. 2011 W-2 forms (if available) and other 2011 records of money earned from jobs and other sources
5. Income tax returns – use 2010 tax returns to help with estimating income earned in 2011 or use 2011 income tax returns, if available
6. Records of child support paid (if applicable)
7. Current stock, bond, and other investment records (if applicable)
8. Records of benefit information (including Social Security, veterans’ and welfare benefits).(if applicable)
9. Current business and farm records (if applicable)
10. Current bank statements (if applicable)

I know it's a lot but it is all neccesary to be able to successfully complete the process.

The priority deadline for filing your FAFSA to attend the University of Texas at Tyler is April 1. For UT-Tyler the average financial aid package is $9,062 which covers almost all of your schooling because to attend UT-Tyler and live on campus it costs about $9,927.

For any questions you may have about financial aid at UT-Tyler you can visit the Financial Aid homepage! For any FAQs about the FAFSA you can click here!

GOOD LUCK with your filings!