🎓 How to Complete the FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the application used to determine eligibility for federal grants, work-study, and student loans. Many states and colleges also use it for their own aid. Filing is free through the official Federal Student Aid website.
Start early because school and state priority deadlines can arrive before the federal deadline. The student and each required contributor should create their own StudentAid.gov account and must not share credentials.
After submission, review the FAFSA Submission Summary for missing information and follow every college's separate financial-aid checklist. An aid offer is not complete until the school receives and verifies all required records.
📋 Documents you'll need
- StudentAid.gov account for the student and each required contributor
- Social Security number, if applicable, and legal name/date of birth
- Federal tax information and consent for required contributors
- Records of income, assets, and untaxed income requested by the form
- List of colleges or career schools that should receive the FAFSA
🪜 Step-by-step
- Confirm the correct FAFSA award year and review federal, state, and school deadlines.
- Create or recover each required StudentAid.gov account before starting.
- Start the FAFSA at StudentAid.gov and enter student identity and contact information.
- Invite required contributors and make sure each completes and signs their section.
- Answer dependency, household, income, and asset questions using current instructions.
- Add every school that should receive the application.
- Review the answers, provide required signatures, and submit.
- Check the FAFSA Submission Summary, correct errors, and complete each school's follow-up requests.
| Estimated cost | Free. Do not pay a third party merely to submit the FAFSA. |
|---|---|
| Typical timeline | Online processing often takes several days; school review and verification can take longer. Apply before the earliest applicable deadline. |
Frequently asked questions
Do parents and students share one account?
No. Each person who must contribute information should use their own StudentAid.gov account.
Should I wait until I am admitted?
Usually no. You can list schools while applications are pending so they can receive your FAFSA information.
What if my family's finances changed?
Submit accurate FAFSA information, then contact the school's financial-aid office to ask about a professional judgment or special-circumstances review.