FAFSA Information
FAFSA Information
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The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opens on October 1st! The priority deadline to complete the FAFSA is March 1st, 2027 BUT some schools will require you to complete it earlier to meet their deadlines. It is best to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid opens on October 1st! The priority deadline to complete the FAFSA is March 1st, 2027 BUT some schools will require you to complete it earlier to meet their deadlines. It is best to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after it opens.
FAFSA Requirements
FAFSA Requirements
To be eligible for funds from the federal government, students must meet the following requirements:
demonstrate financial need for need-based federal student aid programs;
be a U.S. citizen or an eligible noncitizen;
have a valid Social Security number (with the exception of students from the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, or the Republic of Palau);
be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program;
maintain satisfactory academic progress in college or career school;
provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly into your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form;
sign the certification statement on the FAFSA form stating that you’re not in default on a federal student loan, you do not owe money on a federal student grant, and you’ll only use federal student aid for educational purposes; and
show you’re qualified to obtain a college or career school education.
Parents/contributors do NOT need to meet the same requirements as students.
Both the student AND the parent/contributor must create an FSA ID in order to fill out the FAFSA form
Create an account here: https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
Provide legal name, birthdate, personal email address, social security number
Parents/contributors without a social security number can create an account to fill out their portion for the student
Make sure information is correct!
Remember your FSA ID and the information you provided! You will use this to log in to complete the form.
The student will start the FAFSA form for 2027-2028
Go to fafsa.gov
Start a new form (make sure it is 2027-2028)
Student will provide their financial information and information about their dependency status
Most high school students will be dependent students on the FAFSA, which means parents will need to provide information
Students can use this webpage to determine if they are independent or dependent on the FAFSA
The 2027-2028 FAFSA will use tax information from 2025
If a student filed a 2025 federal tax return, they will need to provide that information (most of the time the FAFSA will be able to automatically find tax information through the IRS data retrieval tool)
After the student fills out all their financial information, dependent students will be able to invite a parent via email as a contributor. If you are unsure of who your contributor is, you can learn more here.
Students will be able to add up to 20 schools to send their FAFSA information to-- If you know what schools you are applying to, you should go ahead and add them!
Students can edit their schools after submitting the form
The parent will log in and accept the invite using their FSA ID
The parent will receive an email to accept the invite, the parent can click the link in the email, or type in the invite code to accept the invite from the student
Parent(s) will provide financial information
All contributors must provide consent and approval for the U.S. Department of Education to
disclose their personally identifiable information provided on the FAFSA form to the IRS to match their information with their tax information;
obtain their federal tax information from the IRS and include it with the FAFSA form;
use their federal tax information to determine your Student Aid Index and Federal Pell Grant eligibility;
share their federal tax information with colleges, career/trade schools, and state higher education agencies for use in awarding and administering financial aid; and
reuse their federal tax information on another FAFSA applicant's form (e.g., if a parent has multiple dependent students or for a parent's own FAFSA form as an aid applicant).
In addition to 2025 tax information, the FAFSA will also ask for information about assets
Balance of checking account, savings account, and cash
Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms (not including retirement accounts)
Foreign Income
Child Support
Both the student and parent/contributor must sign the FAFSA form! This is very important!
After both the student and the parent/contributor have completed the form, the student will be able to access their FAFSA Submission Summary
THIS IS NOT A FINANCIAL AID OFFER
The Student Aid Index is used by schools to determine potential financial aid offers
Estimate of FEDERAL loans you may be eligible for and FEDERAL Pell Grant
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to fill out the FAFSA form?
Most of the time the FAFSA will take between 15-30 minutes to complete
What happens if the parent does not provide consent for the Department of Education to use their financial information?
The dependent student will ONLY be eligible for unsubsidized loans. They may also miss out on financial aid opportunities at the state and institutional level, since the form will not be able to calculate an accurate Student Aid Index.
What if my parent/contributor does not have a Social Security Number?
Parents can still create accounts, fill out the FAFSA form, and provide consent to the Department of Education without a Social Security Number
Here is a helpful article from the National College Attainment Network for Mixed-Status Families who are unsure about completing the FAFSA
What if my family thinks they make too much money to qualify for need-based assistance?
It can still be beneficial to fill out the FAFSA even if you think you won't qualify for a Pell Grant or other need-based assistance
Sometimes states, schools, and institutions can fill gaps that the federal government cannot, but they need a FAFSA on file to offer you grants and scholarships
Some outside scholarships require you to fill out the FAFSA as part of their application (for example, the Outer Banks Community Foundation)
What does it mean if my FAFSA is flagged for verification?
This means that you will need to provide extra information to your school in order for them to process your FAFSA-- usually it is a copy of a tax form or something similar
What if I fill out the FAFSA wrong?
You are able to edit your FAFSA and make corrections after you submit it
What if I want help filling out my FAFSA form?
Feel free to make an appointment with me! I can help students and/or parents with the form!
How can I find financial aid deadlines for my specific school?
Each school should have an office dedicated to financial aid. You can find deadlines through the financial aid office, as well as additional requirements to be considered for aid
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