The FAFSA is the most important form to complete when figuring out finances for college. You must complete this application every single year to be reviewed for aid. The FAFSA filing period is October 1st until March 2nd each year.

Your completed FAFSA gets viewed by three different entities; the federal government, state government and the universities that you send it to. After filling out the application, your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is determined. This number dictates if you qualify for the federal Pell Grant, the state Cal Grant and can also determine what your institutional need-based aid looks like from your school.

While you are in college, you will likely always be filing the FAFSA as a dependent student. The image below displays the conditions you must meet to be considered an independent student.

Renew Your FAFSA

Most likely, if you are on this website, you have completed your FAFSA at least once! That means that instead of having to start from scratch, you get to renew your FAFSA for the coming academic year. Much of your demographic and contact information will auto-populate into the renewal, so just make sure all of that is accurate. Since you are likely to be staying at the same school, this year, you only need to add in the school that you are attending! If you are transferring or applying to multiple schools, you will add all of those schools.

What You'll Need:

• Your FSA ID

• Parent's FSA ID if they were able to make one

• Social Security Number (parent(s) SSN if they have one)

• Federal tax information or tax returns

• Records of any untaxed income

• Cash, savings and checking account balances

• Investments other than the home in which you live

Once your FAFSA is processed, you will be packaged for financial aid by your school to view in your portal!

Loans

Scholarship Access

Digging for scholarships can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Many students, especially at private schools, receive a merit-based scholarship when they apply. Often times, that along with other financial aid makes up their entire financial aid package. However, if you want to look for additional scholarships, there are several methods that you can try.

• Look at your college or university

  • Some schools will have general scholarships that they post on their website

  • Check within your academic major's department

• Check within third party websites, such as those listed below

  • Some students have luck with outside scholarships, scholarships that are not affiliated with your school. These are often one-time scholarships with varying requirements and specifications. You can utilize search tools like College Board and GoingMerry to look for opportunities. Keep in mind, you'll have to dig!

• Check out Community Based Organizations in your area!