You can apply for financial aid online through the Free Application for Federal Student Aid website. The FAFSA form is an application for all federal grants and loans. The U.S. Department of Education and your school will determine which financial aid opportunities you can receive.
While the FAFSA online form is convenient, you can print it out and submit it by mail. You must submit it each year you need financial aid and before the following three deadlines:
- The federal deadline of June 30th (for aid the following year).
- Your state’s deadline, which you can check on the FAFSA website.
- Your school’s deadline, which you can find out through the institution’s financial aid office.
Some states have partnerships with the FAFSA office, and you can transfer your information to the state’s financial aid form. You can find state aid forms on the FAFSA confirmation page towards the end of the application process.
If you submit the FAFSA form online, you should create a federal student aid identification (FSA ID) number, username, and password. You can then access your application to make changes until September 10th. It will also make it simpler to resubmit the form each year you need financial aid.
The FAFSA form needs your Social Security number, your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student, or your and theirs Alien Registration number if you and your family are not U.S. citizens. You will also need federal tax information and other financial information, such as bank account balances, investments, and untaxed sources of income.
You will need to furnish 2022 tax information for the 2023-2024 FAFSA form. However, you should not send original documents if you are applying by mail.
These details will help the government determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Your EFC affects how much you can receive in grants, but it will not influence your qualifications for federal loans.
You can check on the status of your application when you apply online. It can take three to five days for it to process. If action is required, such as missing information or signatures, you will need to contact the school to make corrections.
It could take between seven and 10 days from the day you sent it to check the status of your application if you submitted it by mail. You can contact a Federal Student Aid Information Center for assistance completing the form, to check the status, or find out more information about setting up an online account.
The FAFSA form is not an application for general grants. Learn more about general grants and if they are better than federal grants next.
By Admin –
