FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE)- March is crunch time when it comes to filling out your FAFSA, millions of college students will find out their financial academic futures in the next several weeks. What it really comes down to is, getting a FAFSA I.D. , completing your FAFSA, the student aid report, the education and how much someone’s family can contribute.

Mary Jo Terry is a FAFSA expert, she explained how students and parents first mistake is there can be confusion each individuals information, Meaning, that the students believe that their information has to be the same as their parent or guardians and vice versa.

Another common mistake, not checking with your college to see if they are apart of college scholarship service profile. “It is about 300 to 400 schools in the U.S. actually utilize this portal for non-federal aid,” said Terry. “It is a great place to go if your college or university utilizes it, you would actually qualify for additional non-federal aid and usually it is free money,” Terry said.

Many students are unaware of the scholarships available when moving from one university to the next. “Make sure you look to see what scholarships your financial office offers to bring the costs of tuition down,” Terry explained. “The whole reason is to encourage students to go to the institution that they want to see what kind of options you might have,” said Terry.

More information on how to get your FAFSA started.