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To qualify for federal sources of financial aid, students
must complete and submit the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA) to the U.S. Department of Education. Make sure you submit the FAFSA form as early as possible!
Submitting the FAFSA determines your eligibility for
student aid by:
-
Applying
a standard financial aid eligibility calculation to a
student's and family's personal and financial
information
-
Conducting
checks with other government agencies (Social Security
Administration and Selective Service for example) to
ensure the applicant is eligible for federal student
aid.
-
Electronically
forwarding a record of the application to the
school/schools specified by the applicant.
-
Apply Online:
FAFSA Online Form
Before
you begin filing the FAFSA (electronically or not), you will
need to gather several important pieces of information:
-
Your
Social Security card and driver's license
-
W-2
Forms or other records of income earned
-
Your
(and your spouse's, if you are married) Federal Income
Tax Return
-
Your
parent's Federal Income Tax Return (if you are a
dependent undergraduate student)
-
Records
of other untaxed income received such as welfare
benefits, social security benefits, TANF, veteran's
benefits, or military or clergy allowances
-
Current
bank statements and records of stocks, bonds, and other
investments
-
Business
or farm records, if applicable
-
Your
alien registration card (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
School
information on the FAFSA:
One
important piece of information that applicants provide on
the FAFSA is the school/schools that you are interested in
attending. By
entering the information on the school section of the FAFSA,
the information is electronically forwarded to the schools'
financial aid office allowing them to begin making an award.
Electronic
considerations for Filing the FAFSA:
There
are a number of electronic options available to make filing
the FAFSA very easy. These
electronic options are also much faster in providing
information to the schools you may be considering attending. You can find complete instructions for the submitting
the FAFSA electronically at: FAFSA Online
After
submitting the FAFSA:
Once
you submit the FAFSA to the Department of Education, the
information you provide is processed to determine your EFC
and check other requirements of aid eligibility. The FAFSA processor forwards an electronic record of
your application to the schools you indicated. You will also receive a notification, called a
Student Aid Report (SAR), from the Department of Education
that allows you to review the information provided on the
application and make corrections to the information - if
needed.
There
are other FAFSA resources including downloadable forms and
instructions available at
The
US Department of Education's Site
Click
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