FAFSA

Completing a financial aid application is often considered the first step in making education after high school possible for Illinois students. An Illinois student   who completes a financial aid application may be eligible to receive as much as $15,795 if they qualify for the Federal Pell Grant and the Illinois Monetary Award Program—funding that can make the difference for thousands of low-income students statewide.

Financial Aid Application Completion Requirement

State law requires all Illinois public high school seniors to complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) or the Alternative     Application for Illinois Financial Aid (Alternative Application) as a prerequisite to receiving a high school diploma. For students who choose not to file an application, a Financial Aid Application Nonparticipation Form (at end of page) may be signed by a parent or guardian. 

Below is a list of resources to get started on completing the FAFSA.

Here are the links to begin filling out the FAFSA and the Alternative Application:

FAFSA: www.fafsa.gov

Alternative App (for qualifying undocumented students): www.isac.org/alternativeapp 

When students and families go to complete their applications, this is what they should make sure to have with them:

Both Applications:

Federal tax returns, W-2s, and other records of income

Banking statements and records of investments

Records of untaxed income

List of colleges student would like to attend

FAFSA Only

Student’s Social Security Number (SSN), if parent doesn’t have one it’s okay

Alien Registration Number, if students is not a U.S. Citizen

Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID – students and parents must have their own

Students and parents can create their ID's here: www.studentaid.gov/fsa-id

* Everyone should create their FSA ID's a week before they complete their FAFSA*

If you have troubles signing into that, please contact Kaylee Wobig at Kaylee.Wobig@illinois.gov and she can help you through that process. 

Creating FSA ID's is very important and creating them sooner rather than later. Because the FSA ID is an account linked to the person's social security number, time is needed to process it and verify your identity which can take a few days. You should get an email saying your FSA ID is verified or created.

2025-2026 Nonparticipation Form 

Steps to filling out the form can be found here: https://www.isac.org/home/fafsa/NPF-Instructions.html