If You Want Financial Aid Fill Out a FAFSA

by Max Hargis

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly called FAFSA, is considered a must for college students. It helps determine the eligibility of the student to receive financial assistance with their education. The FAFSA must be completed before the school can offer any type of award package. This may include grants, loans, work study programs, and scholarship money.

Many kinds of details will be required to complete the FAFSA form. Personal details like Date of Birth, Social Security Number, and contact details will need to be filled in. Also be prepared to share information about income and tax, educational qualifications, living arrangements, etc.

Be aware that if you are below 21 years of age, the details would be relevant to your parents' income. However, there could be anomalies to this procedure. It is advisable to contact a financial assistance official or to visit the FAFSA website to check if you are eligible.

To complete the questions, you will need a copy of your tax return, or your parents, and possibly bank statements for accounts that accrue interest.
Although you can make corrections as necessary, try to be thorough and answer all questions accurately. It helps to have all the information in front of you before you begin. Be sure to adhere to the priority deadlines. The deadlines may differ from the government and your school, always double check.

You can submit your application either via the FAFSA website or can request for an application form and mail it in. If you want to use the website to fill your application, you would be first required to register for an account by creating a login and a password. You will then be given a PIN number which is automatically generated. This PIN can also be requested by mail if you choose so. You have the option of filling in the form at your convenience and you can save whatever information you have filled in and resume any time later. Once the online application is submitted, you receive a confirmation by email as well as a reference number.

The details that you share in the FAFSA form, will help in deciphering the estimated family contribution or EFT. When the EFT is above 0, you will be required to bear a portion of the tuition costs. However, if the EFT is 0, then you are not required to bear any of your tuition costs. It is advisable to submit the FAFSA even if a student is not qualified for either state or federal grants. The process will help the student in obtaining any loans or applying for scholarships.

When the school receives FAFSA results, they will then contact the student regarding any additional information that may be needed. This may include but is not limited to a copy of tax returns, w-2's, or any other document related. This process is called verification, not all students will be selected for this. Only after this process has been completed will the student be offered financial aid.