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FAFSA Completion (or completion of a FAFSA Waiver) is now a Kentwood Public Schools Graduation Requirement!
This page provides helpful information about paying for education after high school. Here you’ll find an overview of the FAFSA, basic financial aid resources, and a variety of scholarship opportunities available to students.
Our goal is to give students and families clear, easy-to-understand guidance as they explore their options and plan for the future.
What Is FAFSA?
What Is FAFSA?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form students complete to be considered for financial aid after high school. This includes federal and state grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities, and student loans. Many colleges, universities, and technical programs use FAFSA information to determine the type and amount of financial aid a student may receive.
Why IS FAFSA IMportant?
Why IS FAFSA IMportant?
Completing the FAFSA is important because it:
Completing the FAFSA is important because it:
Helps students access free money for college or career training
Determines eligibility for financial aid from colleges and the state
Is required by many scholarships
Helps families understand the cost of different post-secondary options
FAFSA Completion Is A Graduation Requirment
FAFSA Completion Is A Graduation Requirment
All seniors must complete the FAFSA to graduate. This helps students access financial aid for college or career training.
If you prefer not to complete it, you can fill out a waiver to opt out. Our counseling team can provide the waiver and help with any questions.
How To Complete FAFSA
How To Complete FAFSA
STep 1: Gather Documents and INformation
STep 1: Gather Documents and INformation
Having everything ready will make the process much faster!
Having everything ready will make the process much faster!
Student Information or Documents Needed:
Student Information or Documents Needed:
Full legal name
FSA IDs and passwords
If a FAFSA Account has already been made
Personal email address
DO NOT USE YOUR SCHOOL EMAIL
Parent email
Personal phone number
Student's social security number (if applicable)
Date of birth
Checking and savings account balances
Federal income tax forms and W-2s *from two years before the academic year you’re applying for
If the student did their own taxes
Investments
Such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 529 plans, rental properties) excluding home and retirement
Current net worth of businesses and farms excluding:
Family businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees
Farms where the family resides
Commercial fishing business and related expenses
Child support received from the last complete calendar year
If the student has a child
Citizenship Documents (If applicable)
A-number, listed on your green card
Registration/USCIS number of eligible noncitizens
Parent Information or Documents Needed:
Parent Information or Documents Needed:
Full legal name
FSA IDs and passwords
If a FAFSA Account has already been made
Personal email address
Personal phone number
Parent's social security number (if applicable)
Date of birth
Checking and savings account balances
Federal income tax forms and W-2s
*from two years before the academic year you’re applying for - (Example listed below)
Investments
Such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, 529 plans, rental properties) excluding home and retirement
Current net worth of businesses and farms excluding:
Family businesses with 100 or fewer full-time employees
Farms where the family resides
Commercial fishing business and related expenses
Child support received from the last complete calendar year (If applicable)
*Example: Families applying for the 2026-2027 FAFSA Form would use tax information from 2024, and so on...
Applying for the 2027-2028 Form would use tax information from 2025
Applying for the 2028-2029 Form would use tax information from 2026
Once your information and documents have been gathered:
Go to studentaid.gov
Both the student and parent need to create their own FAFSA Accounts
If the student and parent have already created their own accounts, skip to step 3, and complete step 4
Go to studentaid.gov (FAFSA)
Log in with your FSA ID/FAFSA Account
Select FAFSA Form
Then select Complete the FAFSA Form
Begin a new FAFSA application (this should be for the NEXT school year-the year you will be attending college)
Inviting a Parent
On the FAFSA form, a parent is defined as the legal (biological or adoptive) parent or a person that the state has determined to be the legal parent of the student.
This is not the same as a court-orded legal guardian
What is a Contributor?
At the end of the student application, students can invite their "contributor." Students' contributors is a legal (biological or adoptive) parent. Inviting your contributor will provide you with an invitation code and will send your contributor an invitation email to complete your application.
*Dependent students' applications will be submitted and processed once your parent has completed their portion of the FAFSA without error.
Resources for Students:
Do I need to invite a contributor?
Student who say yes to the following will automatically be independent, and a parent contributor information is not needed:
24 or older
Married
Masters or doctorate degree
Served in the military
After 13- orphan, ward of court, or in foster care
Emancipated minor
Court-ordered legal guardian
Someone other than students parent
Unaccompanied youth who is homeless
Have children or dependents
*If you said no to the following, you will automatically be dependent, and a parent contributor information is needed
If your student has already started their FAFSA form and has invited you as a contributor, there are a few ways to accept the invitation:
Email: Look for an invitation email from Federal Student Aid that includes a button to “Accept Invitation” and a unique invitation code for your student's application. By selecting the button in the invitation email, you can enter their form and complete it.
Your student will also receive an invitation link that can be shared with you directly, or
You can visit studentaid.gov and select the Accept an Invitation under the FAFSA Form tab on the home page. Enter the invitation code from your student's FAFSA form
You must have already created an account to complete this step!
Step 4: Complete the FAFSA Sections
Step 4: Complete the FAFSA Sections
Student Portion:
Student Identity Information:
Information from your StudentAid.gov account will appear in this section—review this information to verify that it’s correct
Personal Circumstances:
Questions determining your dependency status and eligibility for federal student aid
First, you’ll answer questions about your marital status and your college or career/trade school plans
Student Demographics:
This section will ask questions about your and your parents’ background
You’ll be asked about your sex, race, and ethnicity. Your answers here won’t affect your eligibility for federal student aid, be used in any calculations, or be shared with any schools that you list on your FAFSA form. They are used for research purposes only
You’ll need to provide information about your high school
When entering East Kentwood High School's city, type Grand Rapids
Financials
Colleges and Career Schools:
Select the schools you’re considering or plan to attend so that they automatically receive an electronic copy of your FAFSA form and can use your information to determine the types and amounts of student aid you may receive
Contributor Invite:
If the FAFSA form determined that you’re a dependent student, you’ll be required to invite a legal parent (a biological or adoptive parent as determined by the state) to participate on your FAFSA form
Parent Portion:
Parent Demographics:
This includes your marital status and your state of residence
Make sure you report your marital status as of the day you fill out the FAFSA form, even if it is different from your tax filing status
You will select your state of residence and enter the date (month and year) when you became a resident
Parent Financials:
Providing consent and approval allows for the transfer of your federal tax
Invite your spouse as a contributor (if required)
Step 5: Sign and Submit
Step 5: Sign and Submit
To submit the FAFSA Form, both the student and the parent must:
Review your answers and ensure every question has been answered
Sign your form, select the checkbox saying you agree to the terms and then select the Sign button
Go to the bottom of the page and select Finish Parent Section or Submit FAFSA Form
Step 6: Review Your Submission Summary and check your email
Step 6: Review Your Submission Summary and check your email
After your FAFSA form is processed, you’ll receive an email with your FAFSA Submission Summary
After your FAFSA form is processed, you’ll receive an email with your FAFSA Submission Summary
The FAFSA Submission Summary will help you understand your next steps as you prepare to receive financial aid offer letters from schools:
Submissions take about 3-5 days to be processed
Processed and completed forms will have a FAFSA submission summary, that will include student's eligibility of the Pell grant, loans, and work-study.
Submission summaries will also include a student's Student Aid Index or SAI
It’s important to review your FAFSA Submission Summary closely because you could be selected for verification of your aid eligibility or need to make a correction to your form
Your FAFSA Is Not Finished After You Click "Submit"
Your FAFSA Is Not Finished After You Click "Submit"
Submitting your FAFSA is an important first step but it does not mean your financial aid application is complete!
After submitting your FAFSA, you should regularly:
Log in to your FAFSA account
Check your email for updates or requests for additional information
Review your FAFSA Submission Summary
*Make sure your FAFSA has been processed successfully and that there are no errors or required corrections
What does my FAFSA status mean?
What does my FAFSA status mean?
The status of your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form will be one of the following:
Draft: Your section of the FAFSA form is incomplete.
In Progress: You provided your consent, approval, and signature to your section of the FAFSA form, but the FAFSA form has not been submitted yet because it is missing information or an action from a contributor.
In Review: Your FAFSA form was submitted but hasn’t been processed yet.
Action Required: You are missing your consent and approval or signature, or the FAFSA form was processed but a correction is required.
Processed: Your application was processed successfully. No further action is needed.
Closed: Your FAFSA form was never submitted and can no longer be submitted because the federal FAFSA deadline passed.
Find your FAFSA status by:
Find your FAFSA status by:
Logging in to StudentAid.gov, and
Finding your status in the Status Center under “My Activity,” which displays after you log in if you have already started or completed a FAFSA form.
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