Financial Aid

Before you start to create your FSA ID, you will need the following on hand: 

• Name (as it appears on your Social Security Card) - use this same official name when completing college applications - everything must synch up to avoid delays.

• Birthday

• Social Security Number (it's critical that you enter this accurately to not delay your financial aid award - double check, triple check)

• Cell phone number (yours, do not use a parents) - if you do not have a phone, leave it blank.

• Email address (use your personal email, NOT your pcps email - your pcps email will not be accessible after graduation). 

You will need to be able to access both your email and phone so that you can verify both in the FSA ID creation process. If you don't have a phone number, you can list (and verify) just an email address.

Go to studentaid.gov and click CREATE ACCOUNT (top right side of screen)

The FSA ID is used to sign your FAFSA so BOTH the student and a parent must create separate FSA IDs. Store it somewhere safe!

The FAFSA year is the same as the college year. 2026 grads will complete the 2026-2027 FAFSA. The 2026-2027 FAFSA is scheduled to be available October 1, 2025 AT THE EARLIEST. Go to FAFSA.gov and click START HERE to start your FAFSA.  You will use prior, prior year tax data on your FAFSA. For 2026 graduates you will use 2024 tax information. It's best to have your 2024 1040 and W2s on hand when you start the FAFSA - both parents' and student's (if the student worked in 2024 AND filed taxes). 

When it requests your FSA ID - it will be the one you created in the step above. (NOTE: Parents will need to use their FSA ID to access their tax data and to sign the student's FAFSA before submission.)

When completing your FAFSA you must request to have your information sent to all the colleges where you plan to apply. If you don't list the college on the FAFSA, the college will not receive your financial information. If you don't apply to the college, they will not look at your FAFSA. Therefore, colleges need you to do two things before they will create a financial aid award for you: 

1) you need to apply to their school AND

2) you need to list their federal code on your FAFSA 

Tax Data 

The Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX) tool allows you to consent for the exchange of federal tax information into the FAFSA. All students and contributors must provide consent and approval to obtain their federal tax information directly from the IRS and to use their federal tax information to determine the student’s eligibility and federal student aid. If the student or required contributor refuses consent to use the FA-DDX, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.

Need FAFSA® help? Our guide walks you through the FAFSA® to help you complete every section correctly—so you can score the MOST financial aid you can for college! CLICK HERE FOR THE STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE

Join us to learn about the 2026-2027 FAFSA, the financial aid process and available aid, from financial aid professionals representing local colleges.

Who Should Attend

High school students, parents and guardians interested in learning about financial aid options for college.

Topics Covered

• Federal Financial Aid: Overview of the FAFSA process and eligibility.

• State Financial Aid: Programs available for Virginia students and the VASA application for students who are ineligible to file a FAFSA.

• Application Tips: Step-by-step guidance to maximize aid potential.

• Q&A: Get answers to your questions about financial aid.

Date & Time

Oct 7, 2025, 6:00- 7:15 PM

How to Join

Register using this link bit.ly/FinAidIntro25 

SCHEV is pleased to continue our partnership with uAspire, offering a free, year-round financial aid help desk for Virginia students. The uAspire advisors provide one-on-one support for FAFSA, VASA, and general financial aid questions.

Students and parents can text their questions and receive personalized responses within 24 hours (Monday – Friday) by texting “Hello” to (434) 478-4003. This service can help reduce routine inquiries. In addition, SCHEV and uAspire partner to offer webinars on financial aid topics. You can find more information about the help desk and webinar series at www.uAspire.org/SCHEV.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Erin McGrath, Associate Director of College Access & PK-12 Outreach, at erinmcgrath@schev.edu.

Filing the FAFSA® (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is your key to getting all kinds of financial aid for school—we’re talking federal, state, and school aid. If you want to qualify for the most free money you can, and pay less out of your own pocket, you need to file the FAFSA®. Nearly everyone who submits the FAFSA® qualifies for some aid. SEE THIS LINK FOR WHAT YOU NEED TO FILE THE FAFSA AND TIMELINES.

Just because you are 18 does not mean that you do NOT need to provide parent information on the FAFSA. See THIS LINK to determine if you are considered a Dependent (you need to provide parent info on the FAFSA) or an Independent (you do NOT need to provide parent info on the FAFSA).

PLEASE NOTE: Not living with parents, or not being claimed by them on tax forms, does not make you an independent student for purposes of applying for federal student aid. 

If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need to report parent information on your FAFSA form. Visit our page on reporting parent information to find out who counts as your parent, what to do if you don’t live with your parents, and what to do if you don’t have access to your parents’ financial information. 

RESOURCES:

• Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard—Identifies which parent(s) will be a required contributor on the FAFSA form.

• Is My Parent A Contributor When I Fill Out My FAFSA® Form? graphic—Helps dependent students determine which parent's information to include in the FAFSA form.

The NRCC/ACCE FAFSA deadline is Feb 15

Click THIS LINK to find out deadlines across the state!

When you submit your completed FAFSA form, you’ll get an email confirming that the FSA (Federal Student Aid) received your form with preliminary information related to your eligibility for federal student aid. This will include your estimated Student Aid Index (SAI) and estimated eligibility for Federal Pell Grants.

FSA will provide your FAFSA eligibility information to your school(s) and state in late January. Once your school(s) receive your FAFSA information, the schools will provide you with personalized aid information in the coming weeks. Until your school(s) and state receive your form, they won’t be able to answer questions about your aid eligibility or status.

FSA will send you an email when your FAFSA information has been sent to your selected schools and when you can access your FAFSA Submission Summary on StudentAid.gov. The FAFSA Submission Summary will provide your official SAI calculation and Federal Pell Grant eligibility. You can also check the status of your FAFSA form on StudentAid.gov in late January.

You can check the status of your form by logging in to your StudentAid.gov account and selecting your FAFSA submission from the “My Activity” section of your account Dashboard. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, you can check its status after it has been processed (roughly 7–10 days from the date mailed).

The status of your application 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.

• In Review: The 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.

Complete the following steps to add or remove a school from your FAFSA form:

• Log in with your FSA ID information at studentaid.gov

• Under your name (upper right corner) go to your account DASHBOARD

• Select the submitted FAFSA form

• Select the processed FAFSA submission in the "My Activity" section

• Select the "Add or Remove Schools" button

• Search for the school and select it

• Submit the update

Questions?/Answers!

If you have any questions on your award, or your TO DO items, please reach out directly to NRCC Financial Aid at 540-674-3615; finaid@nr.edu. If you want to go to NRCC, the Financial Aid office is located in Rooker Hall. Enter between Martin Hall and Rooker Hall and they are the second door on the left. 

How to view your NRCC financial aid award:

To view your NRCC Financial Aid award:

• • Go to nr.edu

  • Click MY ACCOUNTS - red button upper right side of screen

  • Enter your Username (Your NRCC username is your initials followed by randomly generated numbers.)

If you don't know your user username - reach out to one of the Career Coaches they can provide this info for you.

• • Enter your Password (If you don't know your password you can click FORGOT PASSWORD.)

  • Click SIS - Student Information System

  • Click My Student Information from Student Center 

  • Click Financial Information in the left panel

  • Look on the top panel to see if you have any "TO DO" items listed - do not be concerned with RECENT HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION. If any others appear, you need to resolve them. If only that one appears, you should be able to View Financial Aid Award 

  • Click the school year to see your award

How to view your NRCC Financial Aid TO DOs 

If you have Financial Aid TO DOs, they are listed in your NRCC SIS Student Center.

• • Go to nr.edu

  • Click MY ACCOUNTS - red button upper right side of screen

  • Enter your Username (Your NRCC username is your initials followed by randomly generated numbers.)

  • Enter your Password (If you don't know your password you can click FORGOT PASSWORD.)

  • Click SIS - Student Information System

  • Click My Student Information from Student Center 

  • TO DOs are in the right panel - click on the individual item for details

How to upload your NRCC financial aid documents:

THROUGH YOUR NRCC STUDENT CENTER:

• Go to nr.edu, enter your username and password

• Click My Student Information from Student Center 

• Click on the required TO DO and upload files there

How to view your NRCC email: [NOTE: If you are not a dual enrolled student, you will not have access to your NRCC email until June 1.]

Your NRCC email is your NRCC username followed by @email.vccs.edu (this is a GMAIL account). [Note: Your NRCC username is your initials followed by randomly generated numbers.]

To view your NRCC email:

• • Go to nr.edu

  • Click MY ACCOUNTS - red button upper right side of screen

  • Enter your Username (Your NRCC username is your initials followed by randomly generated numbers.)

  • Enter your Password (If you don't know your password you can click FORGOT PASSWORD.)

  • Click SIS - Student Information 

  • Click GMAIL

NOTE: You have to list the school on your FAFSA for them to receive your financial aid information and provide you with a financial aid award. You can go back into your FAFSA and "add a school" but realize it could take 1-3 days to process again.

Be checking the email you used on your application (college application and FAFSA) since that is what they will use to notify you of the status and when your award will be available. Colleges should provide you with an award by April 1 (at the latest - if you submitted by their priority deadline). This give you a month to compare packages and make a decision before the the May 1 College Decision deadline.

Most four year schools have a portal on their website where you view your financial aid data and see if you have follow up items/documentation needed. If you have TO DO items you will not see your award until you provide those items.

What is the VASA?

The Virginia Alternative State Aid (VASA) Application is the alternative state application available for Virginia students who are ineligible to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). These students include Virginians who have certain nonimmigrant visa statuses, are undocumented, have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or are otherwise ineligible to file the FAFSA and would like to be considered for state financial aid.

Who should complete the VASA application?

Virginia students who have certain nonimmigrant visa statuses, are undocumented, have Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status or are otherwise ineligible to file the FAFSA and would like to be considered for state financial aid.

What is the purpose of the VASA?

The sole purpose of the VASA application is to calculate the applicant’s Student Aid Index (SAI) for Virginia institutions to use to determine if the student is eligible for need-based state aid. The VASA application, by itself, does not provide final verification of whether any student is eligible for state aid. To award state aid, the institution must first confirm that the student is a Virginia student (usually within the admission process) and then that the student meets all the eligibility requirements for the specific state aid program.  

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE VASA APP HERE

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) states, "Unaccompanied youth are informed of their status as independent students under section 480 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1087vv) and that the youths may obtain assistance from the local educational agency liaison to receive verification of such status for purposes of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid described in section 483 of such Act (20 U.S.C. 1090)"  11432(g)(6)(A)(x)(III).

What does this mean for me?  Any students who are seniors and both unaccompanied and experiencing homelessness must be informed of their status as an independent student and that they can work with the liaison to verify this.  Project HOPE - Virginia has developed a sample notification form for liaisons to use to fulfill and document this requirement.  Additionally, a poster is available from NCHE to help identify students who may be experiencing homelessness and on their own.

Homeless liaisons are one of four categories of people who can verify a student's housing status to determine independent student status on the FAFSA.  While there is no universal verification form, School House Connection has developed a Sample Form Letter that you may use to document a student's status as unaccompanied and experiencing homelessness.  Students must re-verify every year, so as long as you are still in touch with former students and aware of their living situation, you can continue to provide verification after they leave your school division for higher education.

Additional resource: SchoolHouse Connection FAFSA Information (webpage)

If you think you fall under an independent status as an unaccompanied youth or you are homeless and would like help completing your FAFSA, please contact one of your Career Coaches and they will assist you! Contact information is found at the bottom of this page.

Who is considered my "parent" when I fill out my FAFSA?

Sometimes it can be confusing who you list on your FAFSA as your parent. There are lots of things to consider. Typically it is whoever provides 50%, or more, for you annually that is considered your parent. Typically it's the person that you live with. Who lists you on their taxes is not necessarily the person who is considered your parent for the FAFSA. Check out this link from Federal Student Aid for to make sure you are only including information needed. Who's My Parent? 

What is the difference between "legal guardianship" and "custody" in regards to my FAFSA?

If your paperwork indicates that someone has "custody" of you they are NOT considered your legal guardian.  MOST students are in a "custodial relationship" and NOT a legal guardianship so parent information will be required on the FAFSA. If you are unsure, call the Financial Aid Administrator at the school where you are applying and ask!

One of the questions on the FAFSA asks questions about my "college grade level." If I've been dual enrolled, or taken AP classes, or been enrolled in the Southwest Virginia Governor's School (SWVGS) how do I answer that question?

Since you have some college credit, you would answer the question "Attended college before and 1st year undergraduate."

One of the questions on the FAFSA asks if I get Free or Reduced Price School Lunch. Since PCHS has a grant that allows all students to get free lunch, do I mark this is yes?

If you get the question (not all students will, due to the smart logic of the FAFSA), mark it "yes" that you do receive free lunch.

If I have ever been "homeless" or I am at risk of becoming homeless, can I qualify for federal aid? 

Yes. When you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form, you will be asked whether you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and “unaccompanied” (meaning not with your parents). Answer the question and continue with the application. See more details HERE about homelessness and federal funding. 

Financial aid award packages are sent by mid-April. Four year schools will only send you an award package if you have applied to their school AND requested on your FAFSA to send your information to them. You can send your FAFSA information to up to 20 schools. 

Some schools may send out a preliminary award letter earlier than mid-April. Award packages can continue to change but typically will not decrease unless you change the information listed on your FAFSA.

Refer to the email you used in the application process to see if your college's financial aid office has communicated with you about any financial aid items needed. This email will also be used to notify you when your award package is available.

It's recommended that you DO NOT not fall in love with any school UNTIL you can compare all financial aid award packages for all schools where you have applied.