FAFSA INFORMATION
Federal Student Aid at a Glance
WHAT is federal student aid?
It’s financial help for an eligible student to help pay for educational expenses at a post secondary school (e.g., college, vocational school, graduate school). Federal student aid covers expenses such as tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, and transportation.
WHO gets federal student aid?
Our most basic eligibility requirements are that you must:
demonstrate financial need
be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen
have a valid Social Security number
show you’re qualified to obtain a postsecondary education by having a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate
HOW do you apply for federal student aid?
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
For FAFSA on the Web, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov.
our Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243)
For the upcoming application cycle (Class of 2024), the FAFSA will not open until December, and you should complete it as soon as possible after it opens. Schools and states often use FAFSA information to award nonfederal aid, and some schools have specific financial aid application deadlines to qualify for certain aid. Check with the schools you’re interested in for their deadlines.
Review your Student Aid Report (SAR).
After you apply, you’ll receive a Student Aid Report, or SAR. Your SAR contains the information reported on your FAFSA and will include your Student Aid Index (SAI). SAI, a measure of your family’s financial strength, is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid. Review your SAR information and make any corrections or changes, if necessary. The school(s) you list on your FAFSA will get your SAR data electronically.
Contact the school(s) you might attend.
Make sure the financial aid office at each school you’re interested in has all the information needed to determine your eligibility. If you’re eligible, each school’s financial aid office will send you an award letter showing the amount and types of aid (from all sources) the school will offer you. You can compare award letters from the schools to which you applied and see what aid you can receive from each school.
What Information Do I Need When I Fill Out the FAFSA?
You should have the following information and documents with you as you fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid :
An FSA ID for parents (or the financial contributors to students' college education) and for the student
Your Social Security number
Your parents’ Social Security numbers
Your driver’s license number if you have one
Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen
Your Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information and same for your parents.
Use income records for the year prior-prior to the academic year for which you are applying: for instance, if you are filling out the 2017-2018 FAFSA, you will need 2015 tax information
Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans non-education benefits, for yourself, and for your parents.
Information on savings, investments, and business and farm assets for yourself, and for your parents.
Financial Aid Publications:
www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/pubs
Download these comprehensive publications about funding education beyond high school. All publications are free and are published in English and Spanish.
Financial Aid Application Resources for Seniors & Families
Please note: significant changes are being made to the FAFSA for the class of 2024. We will update materials here as they become available!
Understanding FAFSA website: includes How-to-Guide for filling out the FAFSA, FAQs, next steps for financial aid, resources to compare college offers, and details for special circumstances like immigrant families and undocumented students.
Video Walkthrough: Completing the 2021-2022 FAFSA
FAFSA How-to Guide in various languages
NextStepsTexts - students can sign up to receive weekly texts from MTCAC to help them reach the next step of their process