Department of Education announced January 30, 2024 it has delayed the sending of 24/25 Institutional Student Income Report (ISIR) (the results of the 24/25 FAFSA) to schools until mid-March at the earliest.  This will delay students receiving their award letters until late March or early April.

The FAFSA Simplification Act

The FAFSA Simplification Act was passed by Congress in 2020 requiring a significant overhaul of the processes and systems used to award federal student aid. This includes major changes to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form as well as the need analysis formulas used to determine federal aid eligibility. There are also changes to terminology as well as, policies and procedure changes for institutions that participate in federal student aid programs.

2024/2025 FAFSA

Complete your 2024/2025 FAFSA now to eliminate further delays in your awarding of financial aid.  The 2024-2025 FAFSA was launched on December 31, 2023 when typically, it was available October 1^st each year. 

You can use the Net Price Calculator and the Scholarship Estimator to get an estimate of how much aid you may be eligible for until the 2024/2025 Awarding begins in late March or early April.

The 2024-2025 FAFSA form is now available to complete.

You will be able to apply for aid for: 07/01/2024 - 06/30/2025.

All individuals will need an account to access and sign the 2024/2025 FAFSA (parents, spouses, contributors).

Students must now invite a contributor to complete their portion of the FAFSA by entering the contributor’s name, date of birth, Social Security number and email address. Contributors without a Social Security number can still be invited to complete their portion.

Create an Account

The FAFSA form is available for short periods of time while the website is monitored for site performance and updates forms to provide you with a better experience.

Learn more about the 2024-2025 FAFSA

The 2023–2024 FAFSA form is available for the Spring 2024 and Summer 2024 semesters.

To complete the 2023–2024 FAFSA: Complete FAFSA Aplication.

You can create or obtain your FSA ID here: Create a new FSA ID

Filing your FAFSA is easier if you have gathered everything you need before you get started. If you are a dependent student you will need the following information for yourself, as well as your parents. If you are married you will need this information for your spouse also.

• Social Security Number (or Alien Registration Number if you are not a US citizen)
• Student’s driver’s license (if applicable)
• 2021 Federal tax returns
• Bank statements, records of investments, and records of untaxed income
• An FSA ID to electronically sign the form (students and parents will each need their own FSA ID)

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) can make obtaining accurate tax information easier.  However, there are some stipulations on who is eligible to use the DRT, so it’s still a good idea to have the information list above on hand.

It is important to follow all of the FAFSA deadlines! We recommend putting them on your calendar as soon as possible:

• 🗓 FAFSA Opens: October 1st
• ⏱ State Specific Deadlines: Varies by State
• ⏱Federal Deadline: June 30th, 2024

The Office of Student Financial Assistance (OSFA) with the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC), is pleased to announce that the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) has a NEW feature known as the “Electronic File Upload” Tool.

Students may now submit documentation to OSFA as required for certain state grant/scholarship programs, online directly through their MDCAPS account. Documents uploaded through MDCAPS are secure.

How do students upload documents in MDCAPS?

1. Log in using your MDCAPS username and password.
2. On the homepage click “Electronic File Upload”.
3. Select the “Academic Year” for which you are uploading document(s) for.
4. Select the “Document Type” you are uploading as it appears in the drop down menu.
5. Click “Choose File” to select the file(s) you want to upload from your computer.
6. Then, click “Submit”.

6. 1. If uploading more than one file repeat steps 3-6.

7. Once you have uploaded your file(s) the type of document(s) you uploaded will display at the bottom of the page.
8. Then, click “View Application Status” at the top of the “Electronic File Upload” page in MDCAPS to view the “Status” of each document you successfully uploaded.

8. 1. A status of “Submitted” means your documents were uploaded successfully.
   2. A status of “Accepted” means MHEC has reviewed your document and the documentation is acceptable.
   3. A status of “Rejected” means MHEC has reviewed your document and the information you provided is Incomplete. You will receive a notification from our office informing you why the document is Incomplete.

A reminder that all files must be in PDF, jpg, png, doc, or docx format when uploading documents through MDCAPS.

Students who reside outside of Maryland may qualify for a Matching State Grant for up to $5000 beginning fall 2021.  Most states do not have a reciprocal State Grant agreement with Maryland, therefore Capitol will match State Grants/Scholarships from non-Maryland State Agencies for up to $5000.  Students must complete the FAFSA, apply to their State Higher Education Agency annually, be awarded, and submit to Capitol’s Financial Aid Office a copy of their State Award Letter.  Upon verification, Capitol will match the award for all full-time undergraduate students.  The award is not automatically renewed.  Student must reapply each year when completing the new award year FAFSA, submit the new State Award Letter and meet other requirements such as full-time enrollment and a minimum 3.0 CGPA.

Maryland Residents Applying for Maryland Guaranteed Access Grant

Capitol will be processing ALL verification and documents for new and continuing students applying for the Maryland Guaranteed Access Grant.  All documents should be submitted to the Financial Aid Office to upload to MDCAPS on the students behalf.  This is to assist in the timely processing of awards and eliminate duplicate requests for documents.  Contact the Financial Aid Team at finaid@captechu.edu for more information.

The federal laws governing financial aid allow the Financial Aid Office at Capitol Technology University to recalculate financial need in cases of special circumstances not taken into consideration by the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  Families who suffer significant losses of income due to temporary or long term loss of employment or the death of a wage earner, or families who incur significant medical expenses not covered by insurance may appeal for a review of the financial aid decision. In these unusual situations, Capitol will use “current year” income rather than the “prior-prior year” income to determine a change in financial aid eligibility.  All requests must be made in writing and must include the pertinent documentation requested. You can locate the appeal form under Financial Aid Forms or click here: Special Circumstance Appeal Form

The Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement is an online session that will allow students and parents to see how much they have borrowed, preview what their monthly payments might be, and explain concepts such as capitalization and the difference between federal and private loans.

Students and parents must complete the Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement each year to accept a new federal student loan. The goal is to help them understand how loans affect their financial future.

What am I acknowledging?

If this is your first time accepting a federal student loan, you are acknowledging that you understand your responsibility to repay your loan.

If you have existing federal student loans, you are acknowledging that you understand how much you owe and how much more you can borrow.

Who should complete this?

Borrowers accepting a subsidized/unsubsidized loan, a PLUS loan for graduate/professional students, or a PLUS loan for parents.

How do I complete this?

To complete the ASLA go to https://studentaid.gov/ and login using your FSA ID and password.  A link entitled “Complete Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement” can be found under the Complete Aid Process Tab.  Parent PLUS borrowers and student graduate/professional PLUS borrowers must also complete this requirement. The Annual Student Loan Acknowledgement should take less than 10 minutes to complete.

Tips for Budgeting:

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Managing your Budget:

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Money Management Checklist:

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Smart Saving:

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Smart Borrowing:

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