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The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the financial aid process.
You use the FAFSA form to apply for federal student aid, such as grants, work-study, and loans. In addition, most colleges use information from the FAFSA form to award nonfederal aid such as additional grants and scholarships. For assistance to complete the FAFSA application, check out the resources below!
For four-year scholars, FAFSA is due
MARCH 2nd.
For four-year scholars, FAFSA is due
MARCH 2nd.
FAFSA Eligibility
FAFSA Eligibility
If you do not know the eligibility requirements for FAFSA, please visit this resource or visit the Federal Student Aid website
Preparing for the FAFSA
Do I file Dependent or Independent?
If you are unsure whether you need to file the FAFSA using your parent's taxes (dependent) or not (independent), we recommend you to download, print, and complete the following resource from Federal Student Aid. If you need assistance determining if you are a dependent or independent scholar, contact a counselor or advisor!
fafsa-dependency.pdfCompleting the FAFSA
Create your FSAID
Create your FSAID
(English) Creating an FSA ID.pdf*Esau to reformat to MWA branding
Completing the FAFSA in Five Steps
Completing the FAFSA in Five Steps
FAFSA in 5 Steps.pdfAfter Submitting the FAFSA
Confirmation Page/ SAR: After submitting your FAFSA, you will receive a confirmation page/SAR. When you receive your SAR, review it carefully to make sure it’s correct and complete. The school(s) you list on your FAFSA form will use your information to determine your eligibility for federal—and possibly nonfederal—financial aid. A school may ask you to verify the accuracy of your FAFSA data, so you need to be sure the information is correct.
If you don’t have any changes to make to the information listed on your SAR, keep it for your records.
Please send your SAR to your CAP Coach
CSAC WebGrants
CSAC WebGrants
After completing the CA Dream Act, scholars in California are eligible for state aid. This means, scholars are eligible for more free money! In order to verify and successfully obtain your aid from California (CalGrant), You will need to follow the steps in the PDF - resource provided by CSAC.
cal_grant_awarding_process.pdfCollege Portals: After completing your FAFSA, it is recommended to check your college portals as soon as possible.
How do I get access to my college portals?
After you apply to the colleges on your college list, the colleges will send you an email to the email you applied with in order to check their portal. You will have to activate your college portals - therefore pay close attention to the email's directions.
After activating your portals, most communications will happen through the portal. From verification to their admission decision - those portals are very important. Keep all your usernames and passwords in a very space and reachable place (notes in your phone, for example).
Verification: After you have activated your college portal, most scholars are asked by colleges/universities to submit additional financial or residential paperwork - this is a process called verification. This request can be found on your TO-DO List. You must submit these documents to get financial aid. Failure to submit these documents can cause you to lose or receive no financial aid. For more information on verification, click here.
Financial Aid Letter: Once everything is done, you will receive a financial aid letter from the colleges/universities you have been accepted to OR the college/university that you are attending. If you need assistance in breaking down what your financial aid letter has to offer - click here.
For additional FAFSA resources: check out the following links below!
If you have any additional questions, we recommend you to navigate to your college's/university's/trade school's financial aid page. Simply Google the name of your college/university/trade school financial aid or talk to a counselor or an advisor!
Credit for all the resources above will be linked here: Federal Student Aid, Immigrant Rising, and California Student Aid Commission (CSAC)
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