Want free financial aid? FAFSA midnight deadline looms

Students have only a day left to file for free financial aid and the Department of Education warns students of potential scams as the time to file draws closer.

Midnight June 30 (Central Daylight Time) marks the deadline to file a FAFSA, or free application for federal student aid. But the Department of Education warns that students shouldn't confuse websites such as www.fafsa.com with the real government website: www.fafsa.ed.gov. The government agency cautions last-minute filers to never pay for the fake application, when the real thing is offered for free.

Each year the Department of Education works with the Federal Trade Commission to publish an annual report for the U.S. Congress that lists consumer complaints and explains the department's outreach efforts to identify and publicize these aid scams, said Justin Hamilton, spokesman from the Department of Education in an e-mail with Money College.