Complete the FAFSA in 7 Easy Steps
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is one of the primary sources of financial aid for students and their families. It can be confusing, so it’s important to learn how to properly apply for and submit your FAFSA form.
The FAFSA is how you access financial aid from both the federal and state governments as well as some colleges and universities. Financial aid may come in the form of scholarships, grants, work-study, and federal student loans.
You can fill out the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov, you can fill out a paper form and mail it in.
Completing the FAFSA is a crucial step to get the money you need for school. It can seem overwhelming, so we’ve put together these step-by-step instructions to help you through the process. There are many questions regarding financial aid applications, but here we’ll address the popularly searched “How to apply for FAFSA”.
How to Apply for the FAFSA: Step-by-step instructions
The FAFSA can look intimidating but should take less than an hour to finish as long as you follow these steps:
1. Gather Your Information
When you fill out the FAFSA, you’ll be asked to provide certain information. You can speed up the process by having all the necessary information and documents on hand. You should have:
- Your Social Security number
- Your family size and income
- Your personal income (if any)
- The list of colleges you’re applying to
2. Create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID
Once you have your documents on hand, you’ll need to know where to complete the FAFSA. If applying for the FAFSA online or via the mobile app, your next step is to create a FSA ID. This is a unique identifier used to complete the FAFSA each year you’re in college. It takes about 10 minutes to create, and it can be done entirely online. Students have their own unique FSA ID. If you’re a parent, your FSA ID will be separate from your child’s.
3. Fill in Student Information
Once you have your FSA ID, you can begin the FAFSA online or via the app. Choose the form you’d like to complete, most likely for the upcoming school year, and begin filling out the student demographic section. There you’ll be asked for your information, such as your name, age, and date of birth.
You’ll also be prompted to enter the schools you’re interested in attending. Make sure to enter all schools you are considering so that you get the maximum aid you’re entitled to receive from each one.
For the dependency section, you’ll be asked questions that determine whether you’re a dependent of your parents or not, for financial aid purposes.
4. Enter Parent Information
Once you’ve completed the student section, you need to enter information about your parents. Even if you don’t currently live with your parents or aren’t a dependent, you still need to complete this section. The form will prompt you to enter their names, mailing addresses, and other relevant information.
5. Provide Your Financial Information
Next, you or your parent will need to enter your household’s financial information, including income. If completing the FAFSA online, your tax information will automatically be transferred from the IRS into your FAFSA form.
6. Review Your FAFSA
Before submitting, make sure you review your FAFSA application for any errors or mistakes. Double check the list of schools you entered, and your financial information.
7. Sign and Submit Your FAFSA form
Once you’re sure all of the information is correct, you can electronically sign and submit the form. That’s it, you’re done!
How to Apply for the FAFSA: FAQs
What Are Important FAFSA Dates?
There are a few dates to keep in mind when applying for FAFSA: the school year, the form year, deadlines to submit the FAFSA, and tax information year.
| Attendance Dates | FAFSA Form | Filing Dates* | Tax Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 1, 2024 - June 30, 2025 | 2024 - 2025 | October 1, 2023 - June 30, 2025 | 2022 |
| July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026 | 2025 - 2026 | October 1, 2024 - June 30, 2026 | 2023 |
| July 1, 2026 - June 30, 2027 | 2026 - 2027 | October 1, 2025 - June 30, 2027 | 2024 |
| July 1, 2027 - June 30, 2028 | 2027 - 2028 | October 1, 2026 - June 30, 2028 | 2025 |
*States and individual schools often have different deadlines for completing the FAFSA than the federal government. Here is a list of FAFSA state deadlines. Be sure to check with your school to confirm their deadline.
One very important date to keep in mind is July 1, 2026 – federal student-loan rules will change significantly for both the Grad PLUS Loan and the Parent PLUS Loan programs. The Grad PLUS program will be eliminated for new borrowers (meaning graduate and professional students can no longer use it) and graduate borrowing will instead be subject to new annual and lifetime caps. At the same time, Parent PLUS loans will also have limits (for example, $20,000 per year and $65,000 lifetime per student) for loans disbursed after that date. Both programs require you to file the FAFSA first, and then additional forms. This is something to keep in mind while applying for additional federal aid through the FAFSA.
How Long Does FAFSA Take to Complete?
According to the Office of Federal Student Aid, it takes most people about 30 minutes to complete and submit the FAFSA. That estimate includes the time it takes to gather necessary information or data, complete and review your information, and read the confirmation page you’ll receive once you submit your application.
If you submitted the FAFSA for a previous year and are simply submitting a renewal application, the process can be much faster.
Should I Apply for the FAFSA Early?
Some federal, state, and institutional financial aid is awarded on a first come, first-served basis so it’s a good idea to file as early as possible each year. Completing the FAFSA early has many benefits such as allowing you to spend more time on searching for “free money” – like scholarships and grants – and focus on other college planning and preparation.
What Happens After Submitting the FAFSA?
If you completed the FAFSA online, your application is typically processed within 3-5 days. If you mailed in a paper application, it could take 7-10 days.
Once it’s processed, you’ll receive a FAFSA Submission Summary, which summarizes the information you provided on the FAFSA. Review your FAFSA Submission Summary to make sure everything is accurate; if there’s a mistake, go back and edit your FAFSA form.
The FAFSA Submission Summary will also include a Student Aid Index (SAI), which is an index number that colleges and universities use to calculate the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive and your financial aid package.
The Importance of Submitting the FAFSA
Not everyone realizes how important the FAFSA is for families and college-bound students. Knowing how to apply for financial aid for college is invaluable. According to the National College Access Network, only 52% of high school seniors in the class of 2022 completed the FAFSA by July 1; those who skipped it were ineligible to receive federal aid, such as grants, work-study programs, and even federal student loans. Students could even miss out on school-offered scholarships since many colleges use the FAFSA to determine your aid.
Completing the FAFSA is the essential first step in paying for college, helping you get access to valuable grants, federal student loans and merit aid from many different sources. Now that you know how to apply for financial aid, see what other undergraduate student loans you might qualify for!
