Finlandia University is offering a $500 Early FAFSA Scholarship for incoming and prospective students who complete and file their FAFSA by Dec. 1, 2019.

“We are committed to helping students obtain the funding they need to make Finlandia an affordable option, and filing the FAFSA early helps ensure they have access to federal and state aid,” Dean of Students Erin Barnett said. “One of the best kept secrets in private education is that most students pay nowhere near sticker price. This $500 Early FAFSA Scholarship, on top of the aid unlocked by completing the FAFSA, is another expression of how Finlandia makes quality private higher education affordable.”

If a student plans to attend FinnU, Finlandia University must be listed on the FAFSA using Federal School Code 002322. To be considered for state aid at Finlandia, students must list FinnU first on their FAFSA form.

Benefits of Submitting an Early FAFSA

“By submitting their FAFSA early, students can get a better sense of what funding they’ll be eligible for regarding Finlandia Scholarships and federal aid,” Director of Student Financial Services Sandra Turnquist said.

According to the Department of Education website, there are a number of other benefits for students including:

• A better chance at more state and school aid. Schools and states have a limited amount of aid, and a bunch of states have a FAFSA deadline of “as soon as possible after October 1,” (meaning they actually could run out of financial aid) so it’s good to be at the front of the line!

• Get it out of the way so you can focus on other things, like college applications, college coursework, or applying for scholarships.

• It makes comparing colleges easier. If you submit your FAFSA early there’s a chance that colleges will give you an estimated financial aid offer early, giving you more time to compare colleges before the college decision deadline.

• More scholarship eligibility. Some scholarships look at your FAFSA results-and some of those scholarships have early deadlines. Don’t disqualify yourself from those scholarships.

For information on how to complete the FAFSA, visit Finlandia’s FAFSA Guide or contact the financial aid office directly at 906-487-7261. For more information on other scholarships available at FinnU, please visit finlandia.edu/scholarships.