Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Steps to Apply for FAFSA

You are eligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid if you are a U.S. Citizen, permanent resident, eligible non-citizen, or T-Visa holder. If you are unsure about your status, please reach out to your high school counselor. These resources have been provided by Fresno Unified's College and Career Readiness Office.

1. Create your FSA ID (August – September)

• • Student and required parent contributor(s) create their own studentaid.gov accounts (FSA ID)​

  • System takes 1-3 days to verify/match identity. 

  • Recommend that all contributors accounts are verified/matched before completing and submitting application. ​​

  • Meet with your school counselor

  • Attend school financial aid workshop

• Recovering your FSA ID Account

2. Complete and Submit FAFSA Application (October – April 2)

• • Student use verified studentaid.gov account (FSA ID) to log in and apply by completing student section, invite parent contributor(s), and sign (this is not a submission).

  • Parent contributor(s) gets the invite through email and use the link to take parent to studentaid.gov account to log in with parent’s verified FSA ID and complete parent section and sign and submit. ​(parent may have different experiences based on marital or tax filing status)​

The application usually takes 1-5 days to process. Student will need to monitor emails from Federal Student Aid regarding application status (processed successfully or action required) and emails from college’s financial aid office regarding additional required documentations or verification forms.

3. Create your WebGrants 4 Students account (October – April 2)

• Students are REQUIRED to create a WebGrants 4 Students account

  • 7 days after submitting an accurate FAFSA

  • 24 hours after submitting an accurate Dream Act application

• Your FAFSA must match your WebGrants account name to be able to create a WebGrants account

• Creating your WebGrants 4 Students account

4. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) (January – April)

• You will receive the FSS within 1-5 days after submitting the FAFSA electronically

• Your FSS is a summary of the FAFSA data you submitted

• Review your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) number

  • Your EFC listed on your FSS will determine the amount of aid you will receive according to a formula established by law

5. Verification (January – July)

• Students who have an incomplete or inaccurate FAFSA or Dream Act application will be required to complete numerous forms, which can be challenging and delay your financial aid award

• The Department of Education has a verification selection process that sometimes makes it necessary for a student’s information to be verified even if you completed an accurate FAFSA

  • The school will follow up with you to request forms/documentation to be completed

  • When verification is completed and processed, the financial aid office has the ability to submit the SAR electronically

• Contact your counselor for assistance to prevent any delay in your financial aid award

• What happens if I’m selected for Verification? (video)

6. Accepting your award letter (May - June)

• In May and June, you will receive your award letters from all of the schools you applied to

• Read your letter in detail!

• You have to either accept or decline the award and send it back to your prospective school

  • It is important that you carefully read your award letter and follow the instructions on the letter

  • Never assume you’ve been awarded financial aid without signing your award letter

• It is critical that you understand that you can jeopardize your spot at a school you’ve been accepted to waiting on a wait list for another school. If you wait too long, you can potentially lose both.

• Talk to your counselor if you have questions about your awards