Need Based Financial Aid Application Instructions

All students wishing to apply for need-based financial aid (loans) as new law students at Case for the 2012-2013 academic year must submit the following forms:

1. 2013-2014 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
2. Case Financial Aid Application Form
   
   Form #3 is required only if selected for verification from the FAFSA
3. Copy of your 2012 Federal Tax return with all schedules and W-2 forms.

The remainder of this page will provide specific information on each of these forms. Each form also contains its own instructions. Please read all instructions carefully before completing the forms.

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Form #1: 2013 - 2014 FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

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All students applying for the need-based loan program must also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and have the data sent directly to CWRU-Law. Our Federal School Code for the FAFSA is E00082. The FAFSA data must come to us directly from the FAFSA processor. We do not accept paper copies of the Student Aid Reports for financial aid applications, nor will we process electronic corrections/updates on behalf of a student. If you need to complete a FAFSA, make a correction or update to your FAFSA record, or learn more about the FAFSA, you may do so at: www.fafsa.ed.gov

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Form #2: CWRU Financial Aid Application

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Review the instructions on the first page of this four-page form. You will note that all graduate/professional students are considered Independent. Since you will be entering law school in the fall, this means that you are considered independent for financial aid purposes at Case. Therefore, you do not need to provide any information on your parents' income and assets.

Q. #1 asks which semesters you are applying for financial aid. Check the appropriate box. NEW J.D. STUDENTS: You should check the box indicating "Aid for 2013-2014 academic year". Since your application for admission is for Fall 2013, you are not eligible to enroll at CASE for the Summer 2013 session, and therefore you may not apply for summer session aid.

Complete Q.# 2 with your SIS ID number. If you do not have it when completing the form, the Student Financial Services Office will complete it for you. However, please provide your Social Security Number in question #2 and your SIS ID # will be emailed to you. Because of the delays with the financial aid conversion, admitted students will be provided their student ID numbers in the upcoming weeks.

Complete the "Personal Information" section, Questions 4 - 14.



Answer Questions 15 - 20 based upon your plans for the 2013 - 2014 academic year.



All law students may skip the "Special Programs" section, # 21 - 24.

Complete the "Household Information" and Financial Information" (Question # 25) and the Financial Information (Questions # 26-29) sections. If the answer to a question is zero or not applicable, indicate such with a "0" or "None".



Complete the "Award Information" section, # 30.



All students must read, understand, answer the questions and sign the Permission to release information (Q. 31) and Certification (Q. #32 - 33) on the back of the form. Your signature must appear on the line near the bottom of the back page of the form. The certification statement requests information on your selective service status. If you do not complete all items in this question and sign this statement, we will not consider your application.

What if?	I don't have my selective service registration number. If you are registered with Selective Service but can't find your number, you may call 847-688-6888 or visit their web site at www.sss.gov in order to obtain your registration number.
What if?	I object to the Selective Service Act and I refuse to disclose my registration status? Federal and State law prohibits us from awarding any aid to students not in compliance with the Selective Service Act.

You may voluntarily choose to complete the "Personal Questionnaire" section, Q.# 35 - Q. 36. This information is used to inform students of financial aid opportunities which are made available to students of certain backgrounds or with certain interests. This information is not released to any outside parties.

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Form #3: Copy of Your 2012 Federal (IRS) Tax Return

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Only those students who are selected for verification through FAFSA currently must submit a photocopy of your (and your spouse's) 2012 federal (IRS) tax return, including all schedules. You must also submit photocopies of all W-2 forms that were submitted with IRS tax return. BE SURE THAT THE COPY CONTAINS YOUR (AND YOUR SPOUSE'S) SIGNATURE. Print your name, social security number and "LAW" across the top of each page of your (and your spouse's) tax return copies.

What if?	I will not be filing a 2012 federal tax return. If you have not and will not be submitting a 2012 IRS form, call the Student Financial Services Office at 1-877-889-4279 (toll-free) or 216-368-3602 and ask for a "Student Statement of 2011 Income" form. You must complete and return this form in lieu of a copy of your tax return.
What if?	I have not yet completed my 2012 tax return. It is strongly urged that you complete your return before you complete your application for financial aid. When your application is reviewed, the income information you provided on your FAFSA must exactly match the data on the IRS return that you have filed. Discrepancies will cause delays in processing your application.
What if?	I filed my IRS return over the phone or via the Internet and do not file a paper return? You should submit a signed photocopy of your 1040-TEL Telefile worksheet that you completed when you phoned in your return. Please be sure to sign and date the copy of the worksheet. If you used a electronic filing service, you should print out a paper copy of your return (not the filing declaration) and all required schedules and submit that return with your signature and copies of your W/2 forms.

Before you send off your forms, be sure to make photocopies for your records. Be sure to retain all instruction booklets and worksheets for verification purposes.

Return together the:

1. CWRU Application for Financial Aid, and
2. Photocopy of 2012 Federal tax return, with W/2 forms (if required) to :
   
   Law School Student Financial Services Office
   Case Western Reserve University
   11075 East Blvd
   Cleveland, OH 44106-7148

Do not send forms by expedited mail, courier, or fax. Such methods will only delay our processing of your application and are therefore a waste of your money.


After you have submitted all of your necessary forms, you may receive a form which asks you to verify certain information that you submitted, or may ask you to submit additional information or documentation of information previously submitted. It is important that you respond to all mail regarding your financial aid application. The following time line illustrates the processing schedule for the typical aid application:

**Please note that these dates are recommended guidelines, not deadlines. It is always to your advantage to submit forms as early as possible. You may submit forms after these recommended dates; however, your funds may not be available by the time classes begin in late August.

By May 1

1. Submit FAFSA (paper or Web version) to the Federal Student Aid Programs processing center.
2. You should submit your IRS tax return copies and the CWRU Application for Financial Aid (along with copies of your 2012 tax return, if required) to CWRU's Law Student Financial Services Office by this date.
3. Complete the CWRU Application for Financial Aid

By May 30 - (or 30 days after submitting your FAFSA)

1. You will receive either a paper or electronic Student Aid Report (SAR) in response to the FAFSA that you submitted. If more information is needed to process your FAFSA, you will be directed what to do within the SAR cover letter. If correction to any of your data is necessary, follow the instructions on the SAR or the FAFSA website (www.fafsa.ed.gov) for making corrections.
2. If you are selected for verification, you will receive a CWRU Verification Form which you must complete and return to CWRU. If you are selected for verification, your application will not be reviewed until we receive this form back from you. We will notify all students selected for verification from the FAFSA.

By July 15

1. You will receive a loan information packet from the Student Financial Services Office, giving more details on loan programs which might be part of your aid package. You will also be given information on the lender and loan programs that serve as our partner in providing student loans to our students.

By August 1

1. You should have received your official financial aid award letter showing the aid programs for which you are eligible.
2. You should complete the loan application forms for those loans you wish to receive. If the instructions direct you to return the form to your school, you should mail the loan applications to the Law School Student Financial Services Office.
3. You will receive an invoice for your fall semester tuition and fees. Information on applying your financial aid funds to your balance due will be provided along with the billing statement.

The Law Student Financial Services Office is based within the School of Law. This office serves as a liaison between all law students and the centralized University Financial Aid Office. Ms. Tonya Phillips, our Director of Student Financial Services, is able to answer most questions about financial aid policies and procedures, application status, and questions about billing procedures.

If you have questions about procedures and forms, it is recommended that you contact the Law Student Financial Services Office. Calling us first will allow us to deliver the most accurate and efficient service and response.

Regular first class mail can be sent to:


You may call the office at 216-368-3602 or (toll free) 1-877-889-4279, between the hours of 9:00 A.M. through 5:00 P.M., Eastern Time, weekdays. If a staff member is not immediately able to take your call, please leave your name, telephone number, and time when you can be reached. Be assured that every effort will be made to get back to you as soon as possible. (It is also very helpful to leave your student identification number with any message, so that we can have your file available before returning your call.)

If you have access to e-mail, you may contact us at: lawmoney@case.edu

Email will be answered and responses returned to you within two work days.