To apply for federal or state
financial aid, you'll need to complete the Free Application for Federal
Student Aid (FAFSA). Here, you'll find helpful information, including
tips, to ensure your application gets a fair review.
** Check out our FAFSA Tip Sheet.
Once your FAFSA has been reviewed, you'll receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) that will list your expected family contribution. From that information, your eligibility for all need-based financial aid will be determined.
Start the process by following these steps:
1. Explore your options
In your junior year of high school, or even before, explore all
financial aid options from federal, state and school sources.
Find out about private grants and scholarships. Talk with a counselor
and ask your parents to check with their employers or labor unions.
Look through scholarship, grant and student aid directories in
the library or on our Web site.
2. Find out what's offered and what's required
When researching colleges, find out about each school's financial
aid programs and how to apply for them. Requirements, application
procedures and deadlines may vary by school. Out-of-state colleges
will have different application processes. Be prepared to supply
additional materials directly to the school, such as copies of
your family's federal income tax returns.
3. Meet all deadlines
The FAFSA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the
core application for financial aid and is used nationwide. Some
schools require an additional application or have their own applications
and priority deadlines. Don't wait until you've been accepted
to a school to apply for financial aid. If you do, you may miss
out.
For federal financial aid, file your FAFSA as early as possible after January 1. Don't file your FAFSA earlier than January 1. If you do, it will be returned.
Keep in mind admissions application deadlines and financial aid
application deadlines usually are different. Ask if the deadline
is the postmarked date or the received date. Also,
meet the earliest filing deadline for all the colleges you're
considering. Check with each college, as each one sets its own
deadlines, filing procedures and policies for its private aid
and campus-based aid.
To apply for a federal student loan...
