I missed the federal FAFSA deadline. What happens?

You must be talking about the school deadline, because the federal deadline is June 30, 2011 for the 2010-2011 school year.

Plan on a month or two before you get your aid. You will need to sign your award letter at your school to determine what forms of aid you would like to receive. After that your school's financial aid office will advise you on what you need to do next.

The deadline for FAFSA for the current 2010-2011 school year is June 30th 2011. So you didn't miss the deadline just some priority deadlines. Also, even though Ohio's state deadline might be October 1st its still a first come first serve basis and the later you apply either the lower you get or you get none. Normally it takes about 2 months from filling out the FAFSA until the school has it completed. If you can get $2400 in pell grant money than thats $1200 per semester!

The federal FAFSA deadline for this school year (Fall 2010 and Spring 2011) is June 30, 2011, that's NEXT June.

Although your school deadline was on October 1, 2010, they are probably still taking applications. You may not receive your aid in time before class starts in Fall though, so you may have to come up with a way of paying for your classes yourself until the financial aid has gone through, you will get reimbursed (you'll get your money back).

Now if your school tuition costs $1,200 for a quarter, you must be enrolled in at least half-time (6 credit hours) to be eligible for aid, so your total tuition cost would be $2,400. And if you DO receive $2,400 from your financial aid, it is just enough to cover for tuition costs and you will not get any extra money. (You will not find out for sure how much you can receive until you get your Award Letter from your school, amount estimations on the FAFSA website given to you after completing the FAFSA application is not always 100% accurate.)

If you are applying for financial aid for the Spring 2011, your application should be processed and completed before the Spring semester starts, as long as you follow up and check up regularly on your application with the financial aid office at your school. Make sure you've submitted all necessary paperwork if your school requires any.

From the day you file for FAFSA online, your school will receive your FAFSA information in about 3 business days.

From the day your school receives your FAFSA information, allow 1-2 weeks for processing. (During this waiting period, you should check your school/personal emails regularly to see if your school require any extra documentations like tax forms, etc. If they do then you should promptly turn in these forms to the financial aid office so they can continue processing your application. Check with your financial aid office anyway even if you did not receive any emails. If your school does not require any more documents from you, then all you do now is wait.)

From the day you receive your Award Letter, expect at least a week for your funds to be disbursed. First to your school to pay for tuition costs/fees and any remaining balance, and then if there is anything left over from your aid you will receive a check or direct deposit into your bank account.

You'll have to wait until next year to re-apply. If they say that you can receive up to $2400 in pell grants, then take it. It's better than nothing. For the rest of the tuition, I suggest you get a part-time job. Or you can always take out loans. Then there are also scholarships/and other grants you can apply that are not part of FAFSA.

I fail to see how there could have been any confusion on the issue at hand, but it appears your own neglect will result in you waiting until next year - as it takes MONTHS to process the neccessary paper work, and why they suggest people wanting to attend college in the Fall to fill out their financial aid paperwork starting in January of each year.

Lock your doors......They just deployed the ninjas.