The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, allows college students to access financial aid for college, including grants, scholarships, work-study and federal student loans.
Should I fill out FAFSA even if I might not qualify for federal financial aid or don't plan to use it? YES. Many scholarships ask for your completed FAFSA form to assess each student's need for financial aid.
How do I access the FAFSA form? You will go to https://studentaid.gov/fafsa-app/ROLES
Extensive information is required to fill out a FAFSA form, including:
Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)
Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
Your driver’s license number if you have one
Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
Federal tax information, tax documents, or tax returns, including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
IRS Form1040
Foreign tax return or IRS Form 1040-NR
Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you and for your parents if you are a dependent student
If I fill out the FAFSA form, do I have to go through with getting a loan? NO! The FAFSA form is used to show you what you would be eligible to receive if you decided to get student loans. It is NOT "signing up" for student loans.
More information on FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/resources#fafsa
Subsidized + Unsubsidized Loans: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/loans/subsidized-unsubsidized
Pell Grants: https://studentaid.gov/understand-aid/types/grants/pell
TEACH Grants: https://studentaid.gov/teach-grant-program