Each state has their own deadline to qualify for aid in the state in which you are a resident. If a college is too expensive for you to afford, you will be offered financial aid. You will never know how much any college will actually cost you and your family until you see how much financial aid might be offered. Because of financial aid, many families discover that a private school ends up costing no more than a public school would. Among them are a family's total income, family and student's assets, the number of persons supported by the family income, and the number of dependents in college.
Aid usually continues at the same level each year unless the family's resources change.