To apply for financial aid, complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa each year you remain in college. Additional information/requirements may be requested.
The FAFSA is available October 1 each year. Applications are accepted all year long, but some aid is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis so it is best to apply as early as possible.
For the Financial Aid Office to offer aid a student must:
- Complete the current aid year FAFSA.
- Be matriculated into a financial aid eligible program.
- Complete all the steps and requirements requested of you by the Financial Aid Office.
- Be meeting the standards of Satisfactory Academic Progress.
A student can accept his/her financial aid, in part or in whole, online through the Student Information System (SIS).
Financial Aid will not disburse unless:
- The student is enrolled in enough credits to warrant the specific aid fund.
- The student has completed all requirements of the aid fund.
- The student is maintaining Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP).
Important information to keep in mind when completing your FAFSA
Who is a Contributor?
A contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s form (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). A student’s or parent’s answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.
Contributors will receive an email informing them that they’ve been identified as such and will need to log in using their own FSA ID (if they don’t already have one) to provide the required information on the student’s FAFSA.
If your parents are divorced or separated, the contributing parent(s) is the parent (and their spouse, if remarried) who provided the greater portion of your financial support during the 12 months immediately prior to filing the FAFSA. It is not automatically the parent you primarily lived with during the past 12 months.
All Contributors–student, student’s spouse (if married), and student’s parents(s) (if a dependent student)–must provide consent to have tax data transferred directly from the IRS to the FAFSA. If consent is not provided by all parties, the student will not be eligible for federal financial aid. In previous years, transferring IRS data was optional. It is now required.
Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student’s education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will be incomplete, and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.
Create an account on the Federal Student Aid site.
If this is your first time completing a FAFSA both you and your contributors each need their own StudentAid.gov account. As a student, you’ll be required to enter your Social Security number (SSN) to create a StudentAid.gov account unless you’re a citizen of the Freely Associated States. However, beginning with the 2024–25 FAFSA form, your contributors who don’t have an SSN can create a StudentAid.gov account to complete their section of your FAFSA form.
Gather your contributor information.
When you fill out the FAFSA form, you will answer questions that will determine who needs to be a contributor on your form. However, you may be able to identify your contributors now to get a head start on collecting the information you will need to invite them to your form.
To invite contributors to your FAFSA form, you will be asked to provide their:
- first and last name,
- SSN (if they have one),
- date of birth, and
- email address.
Note: Being identified as a contributor on the FAFSA form will not make your family member responsible for paying for your education costs.
Gather your 2024 tax information.
You and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form. Providing consent and approval is mandatory, even if you or your contributors do not have an SSN, did not file a tax return, or filed a tax return outside the U.S.
You and your contributors should have your tax returns on hand when you fill out the FAFSA form. Even though your tax information will be imported directly into the FAFSA form, you may still need your tax records to answer certain questions.
Make sure you report 2024 income on the 2026–27 FAFSA form. Do not use your 2025 tax information. We understand that for some families, the 2024 income does not accurately reflect your current financial situation. If you or a contributor on your form had a significant change in income since the 2024 tax year, you should still complete the FAFSA form with 2024 tax information. Then, contact the school where you plan to attend and explain and document the change in income. School officials can assess your situation and may adjust your FAFSA form if warranted.
Gather records of your untaxed income.
You and your contributors may need to answer FAFSA questions about untaxed income, such as interest income.
Gather records of your assets
The FAFSA form will ask you and your contributors questions about your assets, so make sure you have records of your savings and checking account balances, as well as the value of any investments, such as stocks, bonds, and real estate (excluding your primary residence). Report the current amounts of your assets as of the date you sign the FAFSA form, rather than reporting the 2024 tax year amounts.
Complete Your FAFSA Form
To submit the FAFSA form, go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
The following videos may assist you with the filing process:
Applying for Financial Aid With the FAFSA® Form
Provide Your Financial Information on the FAFSA® Form
Review, Sign, and Submit Your FAFSA® Form
Invite a Contributor to Your FAFSA® Form
What Happens After Your FAFSA® Form Is Processed?
Verification
Any student completing a FAFSA may be required, by the US Department of Education, to verify the information provided on the FAFSA. Students whose FAFSAs have been selected for the verification process are required to complete the verification process with their individual college. Refer to the Student Financial Aid Handbook for more information.