It's FAFSA Season!
October 1st is the start of FAFSA season. The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the application that students use if they want to qualify for federal grants (free money) and loans (money that must be paid back) to pay for college. While not all students will receive grant offers, many schools and scholarships still require students to complete the FAFSA.
Link to the FAFSA: https://fafsa.gov
Link to the FAFSA Night (9/30/21) Zoom:
https://zoom.us/j/91951556234?pwd=c3pOSS80dy9yd01pTHhoc1NRdVVaQT09&from=addon
Meeting ID: 919 5155 6234
Passcode: 9meJun
What do you need to complete your FAFSA application?
The FAFSA questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you are a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the FAFSA.
Your FSA-ID and your parent FSA-ID (Don't have this yet? Set one up here: https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm )
Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form)
Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
Your driver’s license number if you have one
Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen
2020 Federal tax information or 2020 tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents, if you are a dependent student:
IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
Foreign tax return
Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans non-education benefits, for you, and for your parents, if you are a dependent student
Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
I am a U.S. citizen but my parents are not documented, should I complete the FAFSA? Yes. Parent status is not a part of the FAFSA. In the section that asks for parent social security numbers, enter 000-00-0000. In the submission step at the end you will not be able to submit the FAFSA electronically. You will print out the page, and your parent will sign it. It will be mailed in. Link for mailing in a signature page instructions here: https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/help/signing-without-fsa-id
I'm an undocumented student, should I complete a FAFSA? The short answer is no. Undocumented students will not qualify for federal aid. Scholarshipsaz.org is an excellent educational resource to find opportunities to pay for college for undocumented students.
