Financial Aid | FAFSA

Applying with FAFSA

Before each year of college, apply for federal grants, work study and loans with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Your college uses FAFSA data to determine aid eligibility.

01

Create an FSA ID

Everyone contributing to the FAFSA form online must have their own FSA ID for the parent and student. Parents and other contributors without a social security number can now create an FSA ID.

The parent wizard on the FAFSA form will offer a series of filtering questions that determine which parent of a dependent student will need to be a contributor. The parent wizard will also identify if there's another parent whose information must be included on the FAFSA form. The information provided by the parent on the FAFSA form will determine if a second parent or parent's spouse will also be a required contributor.

02

Begin filling out the FAFSA

Go to the FAFSA online and start a new FAFSA by logging in with your FSA ID. If you have not created one yet, you can do so at this time.

03

Fill out the 'Demographics' section

Remember that the FAFSA is for the student, so make sure the student is filling out his or her portion.

04

Financial Information

Both the student and parent would need to provide financial information. By providing consent within the FAFSA, federal tax information will transfer directly into the FAFSA form from the IRS. Consent must be provided or students will be ineligible for federal student aid.

05

List the schools you want your FAFSA sent to

Add all of the colleges/universities you are considering on the list. There is a max of 20 schools that can be added.

06

Sign your FAFSA form

Once completed, look back through the review page and make sure everything is correct and that there are no errors. The FAFSA is not considered submitted until both the student and parent have signed their sections.

07

View the FAFSA Submission Summary

Review your FAFSA Submission Summary to make sure it's correct and complete. The Student Aid Index will show estimates of financial aid. Final determination of the student’s financial aid eligibility is provided by their school’s financial aid office.