FAFSA Federal Student Aid
What is the FAFSA Form?
Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you're eligible to receive, which could include grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.
You must apply for aid every year, but with the right information in hand, it's easy.
FAFSA Student & Family Checklist
Schedule Time - Find a focused time (about an hour) to sit down with your required contributors and fill out the form together.
Create your Student Aid Account - To start the FAFSA online, you and your family contributors must first create your own StudentAid.gov accounts.
Complete your Contributor Information - The FAFSA form will guide you through questions to determine who is required to be a contributor. For dependent students, this process will require inviting at least one parent. Transfer Tax Information - Consent and approval are required from you and all contributors to have federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA form. This consent is mandatory, even if you or your contributors did not file a U.S. federal tax return.
Child Support Information *Optional - You and/or your contributors may need to provide information regarding any child support received.
Gather Your Records of Assets - Gather records of assets and investments for yourself and all contributors, as the FAFSA form will require this information.
Prepare a List of Schools - Be sure to add any colleges, career schools, or trade schools you're considering, even if you haven't applied or been accepted yet. You can list up to 20 schools on the online FAFSA form.
February - April: Review Aid - Schools will send Financial Aid Award Letters during this period. Review your Student Aid Report (SAR) for accuracy and then compare the offers in your Award Letters to determine how you will fund any remaining costs (unmet need).