FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form uses your family's financial information to calculate how much federal aid you may receive to help you pay for college. Information from this form is also used to determine eligibility for other types of aid (state, institutional, and even some private scholarships). In Illinois, all seniors must complete the FAFSA or sign a Non-Participation Form (waiver) in order to graduate.
WHO SHOULD APPLY FOR FAFSA?
Anyone who is considering attending college or a trade program after graduation should complete the FAFSA. It does not matter if you will be a part-time or a full-time student. If you are not sure whether you will attend college after graduation, we still recommend that you complete the FAFSA earlier rather than later.
The FAFSA for students who plan to enroll in college for the 2027-2028 school year is scheduled to open October 1, 2026. You can begin the application process by visiting the Federal Student Aid website and requesting your FSA ID.
Both you and your parent should log onto www.studentaid.gov to create an account. You will need your social security number and a personal email address (don't use your school email for this).
Within 48 hours of creating your account, you will receive an email with your FSA ID. At that point, you can open your FAFSA application and begin. You will complete the student portion first. After you submit the student portion, your Parent can log on and complete the parent portion. If they filed taxes last year, FAFSA will pull a lot of their financial information automatically. However, they will be asked to provide additional financial information on their banking and investment accounts, businesses, and so forth
You will complete FAFSA every year that you are in college, since financial situations can change from year to year. Please make sure to save your FAFSA logon information someplace safe!
Is help available when I am filling out my fafsa?
Your counselors can help with general questions regarding FAFSA. If you would like more detailed information or have questions specific to your application, you can book a virtual appointment with an Illinois Student Assistance Corps here and they can help you to complete your application and answer any questions you might have.
WHAT IF I'M NOT GOING TO COLLEGE?
If you know with 100% certainty that you will not be taking any classes next year through a college or trade program, you can fill out the FAFSA waiver form, available either online or from the Student Services office. You may fill the waiver out yourself if you are over 18, or you parent can fill it out for you if you are under 18.
MY PARENTS MAKE TOO MUCH MONEY FOR ME TO QUALIFY FOR AID. CAN I JUST COMPLETE THE WAIVER?
We recommend that every student who is planning to attend college or a trade program (or even anyone who is just considering attending) complete the FAFSA regardless of your parent's income level. Income cutoffs change annually, and there have been a lot of changes this year in particular due to recent legislation on how aid is calculated. Having your FAFSA already completed is helpful if there are any major changes to your family's income situation between now and when you start college (for example, if a parent loses a job). Additionally, many scholarships require that families complete a FAFSA form in order to be considered, as do federal student loans.
The FAFSA can be completed anytime before graduation, but we recommend completing it by December if possible. Because colleges and universities use the data from your FAFSA in calculating aid and awarding scholarships, it is to your advantage to have your FAFSA information available to them early in the process when they are making those allocations.