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Understanding and Completing the FAFSA
Federal Financial Aid Starts With The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)
To apply for most financial aid, you'll need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. Whether you apply on paper or electronically, you can file only one FAFSA each school year. Work with each college's financial aid office to be sure you meet the requirements and deadlines for all the financial aid programs you're applying for. File the FAFSA as soon after January 1 as possible. (You can't apply before January 1--if you do, your application will be returned unprocessed.)
Some schools require additional applications like the College Board's CSS Financial Aid PROFILE to help them award private financial aid. Unlike the FAFSA, the PROFILE costs money to file and to send to each school that requests it. The PROFILE can be filed before January 1. To learn more, contact your college financial aid office, call the toll-free PROFILE number at 1.800.778.6888, or go to www.collegeboard.org.
It's As Easy as 1,2,3.
- Complete the FAFSA
The FAFSA lists deadlines for federal a state aid. Check deadlines! Schools and states may have their own deadlines for aid.
- Review your SAR (Student Aid Report)
One to four weeks after you submit your FAFSA, they will send you a SAR. The report confirms the information reported on your application and will tell you your Expected Family Contribution (an amount you and your family are expected to contribute toward your education, although this amount may not exactly match the amount you and your family end up contributing).
- Contact the school(s) you may attend.
Talk with the financial aid administrator at the schools you're interested in attending. They will review your SAR and prepare a letter outlining the amount of aid (from all sources) that their school will offer you.
Where to Get FAFSA:
- a high school guidance Office;
- a college financial aid office;
- a local public library;
- The Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID
(1-800-433-3243);or Online at www.fafsa.ed.gov;
- FAFSA on the Web at 1-800-801-0576;
- FAFSA Express at www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply/fexpress.html;
Help in Completing the FAFSA
You can receive help in completing the FAFSA at www.ed.gov/prog_info/SFA/FAFSA;
To obtain the Federal school codes used to complete the FAFSA go to www.ed.gov/offices/OSFAP/Students/apply.html
Which form to use?
If you applied for federal student aid for the 2000-2001 school year, you probably will be able to file a 2001-2002 Renewal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (Renewal FAFSA).
If you did not apply for federal student aid for the 2000-2001 school year, you can apply for federal aid for the 2001-2002 school year by completing and submitting the 2001-2002 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Submitting the FAFSA
§ Through the Internet by using FAFSA on the Web.
§ By using FAFSA Express software.
§ By having your school submit your application electronically.
§ By mailing a paper FAFSA .
You can file only one FAFSA each school year. There's both a paper and electronic version. (The paper FAFSA is also available in Spanish.) The paper FAFSA is available in November at high schools, career centers, libraries, and financial aid offices.
Mail your completed FAFSA in the preaddressed envelope it came with. The paper FAFSA also contains a postcard you can use to verify that your application was received. Do not send any letters, tax forms, or other papers with the FAFSA, as they'll only be tossed out and delay processing. Instead, correspondence explaining your family's special circumstances should be sent directly to the financial aid office of each college when applying. Be sure to get a certificate of mailing from the post office as evidence it was sent on time. Using a special mailing service could delay processing.
FAFSA on the Web is a free U.S. Department of Education Web site where you can complete a FAFSA online and submit it via the Internet. You can use FAFSA on the Web on a personal computer (PC) or a Macintosh that is equipped with a supported browser. The Internet address is www.fafsa.ed.gov
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