Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

• File on the Federal Student Aid website beginning 1 October.

• Information from the previous year’s tax return is used to complete the FAFSA.

• The FAFSA connects with the IRS via the Data Retrieval Tool in order to populate the financial information fields on the form.

• If you choose to enter the financial information yourself, you will likely be selected for a process called “verification” in which you will have to provide proof that the data you entered were accurate. This is a tedious process and can result in delays in the FAFSA being processed.

Please feel welcome to contact your school counselor or college advisor for assistance in completing the FAFSA.