Navigating the financial aid road to college can be a daunting task, and missing the March 1 deadline for the FAFSA , or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, could derail that journey.

Fortunately, WVU s financial aid experts can help point students in the right direction.

The University is holding its third annual Financial Aid Awareness Week Monday, Jan. 29, through Friday, Feb. 2. Each day, financial aid counselors will be available to answer questions and distribute FAFSAs, electronic worksheets, bookmarks and other information from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in the Mountainlair commons area.

In addition, all participants will be eligible to enter a Feb. 2 drawing for a WVU T -shirt donated by the WVU Bookstore.

When it comes to financial aid, one of the most important forms is the 2007-08 FAFSA , said Janet Trump, senior financial aid counselor. Filling out the form correctly and on time may help students get financial assistance from the government toward their tuition.

The FAFSA is important because this is what we use to determine what types of financial aid a student is eligible for,she said.The student files the FAFSA , and the federal processor processes it, using the income and asset information listed for the family. An expected family contribution (EFC) is calculated, and the EFC lets us know what type of aid we can award.

According to Trump, WVU students received more than $244 million in aid in the last academic year. Approximately 70 percent of WVU students receive some type of financial aid.

However, for every student who takes advantage of financial aid, she said there is another student who misses the FAFSA deadline or simply fails to apply. Any student seeking federal or state aidwhether through grants, loans or work studymust fill out the form to ensure eligibility.

The FAFSA should be received by the federal processing center by March 1 orbetter yetFeb. 15, the priority deadline, to be considered for most forms of aid.

Meeting the deadline is important because the financial aid office uses that cutoff date to award federal money. Students who file their applications after the deadline may also miss out on state grants and scholarships.

Trump said it is never too early to start filling out the paperwork and collecting the needed records: 2006 federal tax forms, W-2 forms, investment records, bank statements and small business records.

The 2007-08 FAFSA may be filed online athttp://www.fafsa.ed.gov/. Students and parents will need a federal PIN (personal identification number) to sign the

FAFSA electronically. Applications for the PIN can be obtained atwww.pin.ed.gov.

Students reapplying for financial aid can complete an online renewal application, which contains most of the studentsprevious information. A FAFSA should be filled out every school year.

Students unable to attend Financial Aid Awareness Week activities may pick up a paper FAFSA in the WVU Financial Aid Office on the second floor of the Mountainlair Monday-Friday 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. However, applying online is the fastest way to submit a form.

For more information, visithttp://www.finaid.wvu.eduor contact a financial aid representative at 304-293-5242 or finaid@mail.wvu.edu .