FAFSA TIPS 

The FAFSA is free, so don’t pay anyone to complete it for you.

Submit the FAFSA:

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the federal form that helps determine how much federal aid you qualify for.

Request a FSA ID from the U.S. Department of Education to electronically sign your FAFSA – your parents will need one, too. Submitting your FAFSA online speeds up the processing time and allows you to check the status of your allplication.

Prepare materials ahead of time, such as information about you and your parents’ income, as well as bank statements and other financial records.

Log on and begin. For fall enrollment, complete your application at www.fafsa.ed.gov as early as October 1 for the following fall semester.  Some financial aid is available on a first come first served basis, so the earlier you complete the FAFSA, the better.

Review your SAR:

Your SAR, or Student Aid Report, is from the U.S. Department of Education and includes all of the information you provided on your FAFSA. If you provided your email address, you’ll receive it within a week after submitting the FAFSA. If not, you will receive it in the mail a few weeks later.

Check the information to make sure everything is correct.