News & Views

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on October 1^st.

Filing a FAFSA form and meeting other financial aid requirements established by states and schools will be one of your most important responsibilities as you apply to college. To increase your chances to qualify for grants, work-study assistance, and scholarships, you need to file your application as soon as possible (after October 1^st) but no later than the EARLIEST financial aid deadlines of the schools where you are applying.

First Steps

The US Department of Education strongly recommends that you create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. This will be your unique username and password combination that will allow you to sign the FAFSA form electronically.

Your FSA ID can also be used to access the myStudentAid application, sign loan contracts, and access other information online. You can create your FSA ID when you are fill out the FAFSA but obtaining it ahead of time helps to cuts down on errors and delays.

Find out how to get your FSA ID at:

https://studentaid.gov/help/create-fsa-id

FAFSA Requirements

The FAFSA consists of questions related to your family’s income and other financial information. The US Department of Educations suggests the form will take about an hour to complete but you should allow yourself plenty of time to correctly answer all the questions.

You and your parents can prepare to fill out the FAFSA form by gathering the following information:

• Your Social Security Number (or alien registration number)
• Federal tax information or tax returns
• Records of untaxed income
• Cash, savings, and checking account balances
• Investments other than the home in which you live

You can find an electronic FAFSA form at:

https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa

FAFSA Process Guide

To help you better understand and prepare to fill out the form, the U.S. Department of Education provides an excellent FAFSA Process Guide on their website at:

https://studentaid.gov/sites/default/files/fafsa-process.pdf.

Individual College Requirements

FAFSA is the key to receiving financial aid, but it is also important that you know the deadlines for financial aid requests at the schools where you are applying. They may ask that you submit financial aid forms on the same timeline as enrollment applications, but COVID may have an impact on those dates and you will not want to miss any if you are anticipating financial aid for college.

College Scholarship Service Profile

In addition to FAFSA, a school may also require you to complete forms such as a College Scholarship Service (CSS) Profile, an online application created by the College Board that allows college students to apply for non-federal financial aid.

A CSS Profile application along with a list of the schools and the scholarships that require it can be found at:

https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

Please note the information presented here is a guideline to help you get started on financial aid. You should always consult with your parents, high school counselors, admissions representatives, and the schools where you are applying to make sure you have the most up-to-date information and are taking precise actions.