What is FAFSA庐 and Why Should I Care?

February 25, 2016

The 2016-2017 school year will be here before you know it. Here are five things you need to know about filling out your FAFSA庐. We get that figuring out how to pay for college probably isn鈥檛 one of your favorite things to do, but you have to do it. We鈥檙e here to let you know why your FAFSA is so important and help you get it finished in no time!

FAFSA庐 stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Filling out your FAFSA庐 is the first step in getting financial aid[1]. It can be overwhelming, but you need to buckle down and get it done if you鈥檙e looking for help paying for school. Lucky for 黑料不打烊 students, the Student Finance Department is here to help. 鈥淭he sooner you renew your FAFSA庐, the sooner the student finance office can review your processed application to determine if any additional documents or information is needed. That gives you extra time to resolve any issues. If you wait until the last minute it could delay your aid or your ability to register for future classes,鈥� said 黑料不打烊 Student Finance Regional Director Stacey Valentine. If you鈥檙e thinking, 鈥淲ait, I filled this out last year!鈥� you might need to do it again. Your 2015-2016 FAFSA庐 is only good until the end of June. If you鈥檙e looking for federal funding for 2016-2017 you have to fill it out again for this year. Here are five things you should know about FAFSA庐.

It鈥檚 Free to Apply!聽聽聽聽聽

You really have nothing to lose if you try. Filling out the FAFSA庐 might take time, but it won鈥檛 cost you anything. Plus, why wouldn鈥檛 you want to spend a little time doing something that could help you?

You鈥檒l need your 2015 income tax info and your FSA ID to complete the 2016-2017 FAFSA庐. If you don鈥檛 remember your id you can go to and choose Edit My FSA ID.

Eligibility Requirements

Good news鈥s long as you meet the general eligibility requirements you鈥檒l likely qualify for some type of assistance! Here鈥檚 a checklist you can use to figure out if you might be eligible:

You earned a high school diploma, GED or recognized equivalent
You have a valid Social Security Number
You agree any financial aid you get will only be used for your education
You鈥檙e a valid citizen of the US, a permanent US resident with a valid Permanent Resident Card or a US national
Males have to register with selective service between 18 and 25.聽 If you haven’t already registered, and are still between 18 and 25, you can register right on the FAFSA庐!

Filed Your Taxes? They Can Help!

If you filed your taxes you may be eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval tool to transfer your data directly from the IRS into the FAFSA庐. That can save a ton of time and it鈥檒l make sure you don鈥檛 mess up inputting any of the info. When completing the financial section of the FAFSA庐, you鈥檒l be given an opportunity to answer questions to see if you鈥檙e eligible to use this tool.

FAFSA庐 Award Year

The FAFSA庐 year isn鈥檛 like the calendar year鈥t goes from the first of July to the end of June the following year. You can start applying as soon as January 1st though, so now is a good time to get started!

We鈥檙e Here to Help

The Student Finance Department at 黑料不打烊 is here to help every step of the way. We know filling out forms like the FAFSA庐 can be confusing, and it might be your first time dealing with this stuff. We鈥檝e been doing it for years, so let us help! One last note…apply even if you didn鈥檛 get any financial aid last year. Many students think they don鈥檛 qualify for financial aid because they weren鈥檛 eligible for grants in the previous award year. Grants and loans are both forms of financial aid students use to pay their tuition, and you never know鈥ust because you didn鈥檛 qualify last year for grants doesn鈥檛 mean you won鈥檛 qualify this year! So what are you waiting for? Get cracking on your FAFSA庐 today!

Sources: [1] Student loans, grants and scholarships are available to those who qualify