West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey urges college-bound students to not overlook the word “free” as they prepare to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, a necessary part of qualifying for financial assistance.

The Attorney General reminds students that while some agencies may charge for filling out the necessary paperwork, they can do it themselves for free.

The application period, now well underway, opened Oct. 1 as opposed to the traditional, but much later New Year’s Day start date. Students should file as soon as possible for states, colleges and scholarship programs that award aid on a first-come, first-served basis.

West Virginia students have until spring 2017 to apply for state aid. Specifically, the Promise Scholarship deadline expires March 1, 2017, and the state’s Higher Education Grant Program deadline expires April 15, 2017.

The earlier application window enables students to use 2015 tax information to complete the 2017-18 form as opposed to waiting for figures from their 2016 tax return.

Students will be asked for personal information when filling out their FAFSA. To avoid compromising sensitive information, like Social Security number and other personally identifiable information, students should verify the validity of the recipient.