FAFSA
What is the FAFSA? Why do it?
The Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA) is a free application that can help you and your schools see how much college/community college might cost you. With the application, the government can provide you FREE money (in the form of grants), and schools can determine how much aid you will get. Additionally, most scholarships require it.
All seniors should complete the FAFSA. You will complete a FAFSA every year you are in school. If you are not a US Citizen, contact the financial aid offices at your schools.
Want to see what the FAFSA might be able to do for you before it opens on October 1? Complete your school's Net Price Calculator!
Follow the steps below to finish yours today!
Congrats to the PHS Class of 2021 for increasing our FAFSA completion rate and earning the FAFSA Innovation Grant!
Follow These FIVE Steps to Complete the FAFSA
1. Collect Documents
You will need financial information and other documents for both you and your parent/guardian.
If you have any issues getting any of these documents, please contact your college adviser as soon as possible.
See What Documents You Will Need:
What you need for the FAFSA and RDS_Table_English.pdfWhat you need for the FAFSA and RDS_Table_Spanish.pdfA Note on Taxes:
You will need your and your parent(s)'/guardian(s)' prior prior year's tax information. For example, if I am planning to attend college in Fall of 2022, I will need tax information from 2020.
Whose Information Goes on the FAFSA?
Reach out to your college adviser if you are unable to provide parent information or are unsure about who is considered a parent.
Include Information From:
Biological/adopted/step parents or the parent who provides >50% support.
The only time you would not include parent/guardian information is if you are:
24 years or older, have a special circumstance (more info in section 3), in foster care or homeless, married or have a child.
Have Your College List Ready!
The FAFSA will ask which schools you would like to send the application to. You can always make a correction to your FAFSA to add another school.
See Your Steps > College/Career Fit for help, and talk with your college adviser!
2. Create Your and a Parent/Guardian's Accounts
If for any reason you have issues with this process, please contact your college adviser!
How to create your account(s):
WATCH THIS STEP-BY-STEP VIDEO!!
Please restart your laptop to avoid errors from the FAFSA site!
Click the image to the left or visit https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch
Then, create yours and then your parent/guardian's account.
SAVE BOTH OF YOUR LOGIN information either in your phone or on paper -- you will need it each year you're in college/community college.
*For students whose parents do not have a social security number, enter all zeros (not their ITIN). Print and mail your signature page to the address listed at the end of your FAFSA. Be sure to submit your FAFSA, and if you get an error message once or twice, that's okay!
Tip #6: Capitalize your name, street address and any other proper nouns -- it's good practice!
More Detailed Instructions
FSA ID Instructions.pdfFSA ID Instructions_Spanish.pdf3. Complete Each Section Accurately
LOG IN USING YOUR FSA ID, AND THEN MAKE SURE THAT YOU ARE COMPLETING THE FAFSA FOR THE CORRECT YEAR! YOU WILL BE COMPLETING THE ONE FOR THE YEAR YOU START COLLEGE! OPENS 10/1 OF EACH YEAR!
Ex. I will graduate in 2022, but I will attend college in 2022-2023. I would complete the 2022-2023 application!
Use these resources for help with each section!
Section-By-Section Instructions (Videos)
Other Resources (EducationQuest)
What if I am unsure how to answer a question? Click the blue "?" icon next to the question AND/OR find explanations of each 2021-2022 question here.
IRS Data Retrieval Tool
Be sure to use the Data Retrieval Tool if you are eligible! You will see this tool when completing parent/guardian or student financial information. This tool is a safe and easy way to import your tax information from the IRS into your FAFSA!!
If you select that you have a special circumstance:
If you do not have a relationship with your parent, you would have a special circumstance and would need to complete a "dependency override" with your schools. Meet with your college adviser to ensure that you complete the dependency section and override correctly.
Please read more information about special circumstances here.
One-on-one assistance!
Click this button to set up a meeting with your college adviser!
4. Review Your Student Aid Report
A few days after you submit your FAFSA, you should go back into your FAFSA to ensure that it has been "Processed Successfully."
Once your FAFSA has been processed successfully, you can locate your Student Aid Report down towards the bottom of the page that summarizes your FAFSA status.
Once your schools have determined your aid from your FAFSA, you will get an email from them with your financial aid packet (see next section).
For more information about the Student Aid Report, click here or email your college adviser.
Student Aid Report Key Terms:
Pell Grant: FREE money that the government gifts you based on your financial need
Estimated Family Contribution (EFC): A code that your schools will use to determine your financial aid eligibility -- not what you will pay for school!
Selected for Verification: You will be asked to submit more documents to your schools.
5. After the FAFSA, determine how much college will cost you!
Check all emails for notifications from your schools.
After you have been accepted, your schools will send you an email with your financial aid package (usually sent out in February) that outlines the cost of attending and any merit/school-based scholarships that you will receive for the upcoming year. The schools sometimes leave some costs out, so use the spreadsheet to the left when adding it all up.
Need help determining costs? Set up an appointment with your college adviser AND/OR watch these Khan Academy videos for a financial aid package overview.
Tip #10: Review your Financial Aid Package BEFORE ENROLLING to make sure you know what you're signing up for!
Something not right about your aid? Contact your financial aid officers for assistance. You may be able to submit an appeal letter to your financial aid office to ensure that the school understands your situation. They may be able to make changes to your aid. Fill out this letter if you are unable to include financial information from a parent/guardian.
Your school may require you to also complete the CSS Profile. Check your school's requirements.
Watch this video for an overview of the FAFSA, Scholarships, Grants and Loans!
CONGRATS ON MAKING IT THROUGH THE FAFSA PROCESS!
Need more help? Click the buttons below to connect with your college adviser!