By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A critical paperwork deadline is looming for families hoping to get college financial aid this fall.

Robert Williams, 17, fills out financial aid paperwork for college with his parents, Joseph and Rhonda, at their home in Bond Hill Sunday. (Steven M. Herppich photo) | ZOOM |

While exact filing dates vary by the school, many expect families to file a federal form, called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA), in January or February.

The form is used to determine who qualifies for federal - and state - aid. In addition, most colleges and universities use the form to determine institutional aid provided to students.

Those benefits range from grants and low-interest loans to scholarships and work-study programs.

Eighty-two percent of the 391,000 undergraduates at Ohio's state schools, and 80 percent of the 90,000 students in private institutions, rely on some form of financial aid, according to the Ohio Board of Regents and the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges.

The system works well for families that can demonstrate the need for financial assistance. But Rob Sheehan, former vice-chancellor at the Ohio Board of Regents and current vice-provost at the University of Toledo, said it doesn't work as well for many middle-class families.

"There is financial aid out there for families with very, very low incomes," Mr. Sheehan said. "But I worry a great deal about the aid available for families of middle income. The majority of it is need-based, and it all flows through a single application."

James Williams, director of Enrollment Services at the University of Cincinnati, has a simple message: File early.

Just under half of UC's 33,000 students get some financial aid, totaling $88 million.

"It's pretty sound advice," Mr. Williams said of filing early. "January traditionally is financial aid awareness month for us. We do financial aid programs nearly every night in local high schools, just to get students to begin thinking about how to finance their education, and to start them taking action in terms of applying for aid so they get maximum consideration."

The same is true at Xavier University.

Marc Camille, dean of admission at Xavier, said the school has a loose deadline of Feb. 15 for filing the FASFA. Students who file after that deadline are in danger of institutional loan money running low.

"When demand exceeds supply, we have to prioritize those students who applied early," Mr. Camille said. "By April, we almost certainly won't be able to be as generous as we could have if they had applied on time."

Mr. Camille said it's important to apply, regardless of financial situation.

"Parents and students often think the only thing the government looks at is income," Mr. Camille said. "It's much more than that. It's the number of (children) in college, and if families have some type of individual special circumstance, we have the ability to look at individual family cases.

"And just by applying, students are eligible to take out (low-interest student) loans."

Robert Williams is following that advice. The senior at Walnut Hills High School was accepted to the University of Illinois last week, and still has applications in at Indiana, Purdue and Miami universities. Robert says school will cost him about $24,000 a year - too much for his family to afford.

"A lot of my funding will have to come from the government," Robert said. "I'm confident that I'll (be accepted) to the schools I applied to, but the money is a different story."

Anita Clark has been there. The UC junior majoring in business finance said various forms of aid cover all the expenses at school.

She said the process isn't too stressful, so long as you get the paperwork in early.

E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com