Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The FAFSA should be filed online as soon as possible after January 1st of the student's senior year, as well as renewed after January 1^st every year in college. If the FAFSA is filed or signed before January 1, it will be returned unprocessed.

If mailing the FAFSA, be sure to get a Certificate of Mailing from the post office as evidence it was sent on time.

There are 3 ways to complete the FAFSA:

• FAFSA on the Web: www.fafsa.ed.gov

• FAFSA Express using computer software

• Paper FAFSA (not recommended unless there are special circumstances, as process time is very delayed)

Regardless of which version of the FAFSA chosen, the parent and the student must submit an original (Not photocopied) signature. The web site or FAFSA express will give instructions on how to print, sign, and mail the signature page document.

On the FAFSA, up to 6 colleges can be listed. FAFSA information will automatically go to the colleges listed.

By filling out the FAFSA, the student is automatically applying for grants. The FAFSA will also ask whether the student also wants to be considered for loans and work-study. You may accept or decline these forms of aid later when you receive your Award Letter from your college’s financial aid office.

For more help, call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243 (1-800-4-FED-AID).

A student can complete and file the FAFSA on the internet at www.fafsa.ed.gov, the U.S. Department of Education's free web site. It is a good idea to complete a paper FAFSA worksheet first so that all of the information is in front of the student when typing in the information onto the computer.

The following are advantages of filing electronically:

• The FAFSA will be transmitted to the federal processor within seconds
  

• Answers are automatically edited before being transmitted, resulting in better information and less errors

• Student will only be asked those questions they will need to answer because FAFSA on the Web uses skip logic

• Student can find out their eligibility for financial aid 72 hours after filing