The FAFSA is the gateway to federal financial aid for college, including grants, loans, and work-study programs. It is also used by most states and many colleges to determine eligibility for their own aid programs.
10 steps across 1 sections
1. Steps Process
- Create an FSA ID. Both the student and one parent (for dependent students) must create Federal Student Aid IDs at studentaid.gov. This serves as your electronic signature and login credential. Allo...
- Gather required documents. Before starting the FAFSA, collect:
- Social Security numbers (student and parents)
- Federal tax returns (or tax transcripts) from two years prior
- W-2 forms and records of other income
- Bank statements and investment records
- Records of untaxed income (child support, interest income)
- Alien registration number (if not a US citizen)
- Complete the FAFSA online. Go to studentaid.gov/fafsa (the only official site):
- Log in with your FSA ID
Common Mistakes
- Not filing because you think you will not qualify
- Missing state and institutional deadlines
- Using the wrong website
- Not using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
- Forgetting to list all target colleges
Pro Tips
- Apply as early as possible
- The FAFSA uses prior-prior year taxes
- Save your FSA ID securely
- Check for state-specific applications
- Low-income families may qualify for automatic zero SAI