Completing the FAFSA

What information do I need to complete a FAFSA?

• Your Social Security number and your parents’ numbers, if you’re a dependent student.



• 2008 W-2 forms and other records of money earned (by you and by your parents, if you’re a dependent student).



• Your 2008 Federal Income Tax Return (and that of your spouse, if you’re married).



• Your parents’ 2008 Federal Income Tax Return (if you’re a dependent student).



• Any foreign tax return or tax return from Puerto Rico.



• Your 2008 untaxed income records—examples include IRA deductions, child support, and veterans noneducation benefits.



• Your current bank statements, business and investment mortgage information; business and farm records; and stock, bond and other investment records.



• Your alien registration number (if you are not a U.S. citizen).

If possible, have the necessary 2008 income tax returns finished so you can complete the FAFSA more easily and accurately. If you apply before your tax return has been completed, you’ll have a twostep application process.

• Step 1—Apply and estimate your income and tax information on your application.



• Step 2—Make corrections later if your estimated income or tax information was not accurate.

You cannot receive federal student aid unless all your information is complete and accurate.

Process for new applicants

Apply between Jan. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010. To determine your eligibility for federal student aid, you need to complete the FAFSA. You may also need to complete an additional application in order to be considered for financial aid from your state or the school you’re interested in attending.

Can I apply for aid online?

Yes. We encourage you to complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Applying online is the fastest and easiest way to apply. Use the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet to write down your information prior to completing the online form. You can print a copy of the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Why should I apply online?

• As you complete the online application, FAFSA on the Web looks at your answers to previous questions and uses skip-logic to only display questions that apply to your situation to appear on your screen. This makes the application process shorter.



• FAFSA on the Web identifies potential errors right away and prompts you to make on-the-spot corrections.



• You get online instructions for each question, and you can access live help with a customer service representative for free if you have additional questions.



• If you are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant, and within the age range to have graduated from high school after Jan. 1, 2005, additional screens will appear to help determine your eligibility for the Academic Competitiveness Grant.



• By applying online, you can send your application information to up to ten schools (the paper form is limited to four schools).



• Once you submit your application, your information is immediately sent to the U.S. Department of Education. You’ll get a confirmation notice right away when you click on "Submit My FAFSA Now."



• Your online application will be processed quickly, if you (and your parents, if applicable) provided electronic signatures using the PIN.

What if I decide I want a paper FAFSA?

You can get a paper FAFSA—in English or Spanish— from our Federal Student Aid Information Center by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). Complete, sign and mail the FAFSA in the pre-addressed envelope.

You can also download a Portable Data Format (PDF) FAFSA by going to www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov. The PDF FAFSA is identical to the paper FAFSA and you have two options to complete a PDF FAFSA:

• Complete the form on your computer, print, sign and mail it to the address on the form for processing or



• Print the blank form, complete it by hand, sign and mail it to the address on the form for processing.

What happens after I mail the FAFSA for processing?

• Your FAFSA will be processed in two to three weeks. But, before mailing it, you should check to see if your school, or a school that you’re interested in, would submit your FAFSA for you electronically.



• If you don’t hear anything within three weeks of the date you submitted your application, check your status through FAFSA on the Web (www.fafsa.ed.gov). You can also check your status by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).

Dependency Status

You’ll need to determine whose information to report on the FAFSA—if you’re an independent student: yours (and, if married, your spouse’s); if you’re a dependent student: yours and your parents’.

When you apply for federal student aid, your answers to questions on the FAFSA determine whether you are considered a dependent or independent student.

Dependent students must report their parents’ income and assets on the FAFSA as well as their own. Federal student aid programs are based on the concept that a dependent student’s parents have the primary responsibility for paying for their child’s education.

Independent students report their own income and assets (and those of a spouse, if married).
For the 2009–10 academic year,* you’re an independent student IF at least one of the following applies to you:

• You were born before Jan. 1, 1986.



• You’re married on the day you apply (even if you are separated but not divorced).



• You are or will be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral degree program (beyond a bachelor’s degree) at the beginning of the 2009–10 academic year.*



• You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training.



• You’re a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces. (A "veteran" includes students who attended a U.S. service academy and were released under a condition other than dishonorable. For more details on who is considered a veteran, see the explanatory notes on the FAFSA.)



• You have children who will receive more than half their support from you between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010.



• You have legal dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half their support from you now and through June 30, 2010.



• When you were age 13 or older, both your parents were deceased and you were you in foster care or a dependent or ward of the court.



• As of the day you apply for aid, you are an emancipated minor as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.



• As of the day you apply for aid, you are in legal guardianship as determined by a court in your state of legal residence.



• At any time on or after July 1, 2008, your high school or school district homeless liaison determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless.



• At any time on or after July 1, 2008, the director of an emergency shelter program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless.



• At any time on or after July 1, 2008, the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determined that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.

If none of these criteria apply to you, you’re a dependent student.

What if you are considered a dependent student but have no contact with your parents?

In special cases:

• A financial aid administrator* can determine that a student who doesn’t meet the above criteria should be treated as an independent student.



• The financial aid administrator* can change your dependency status from dependent to independent based on adequate documentation of your unusual circumstances.



• You must provide this documentation to the financial aid office at your school.



• The financial aid administrator* cannot automatically change your status simply because you request it.



• The decision is based on the financial aid administrator’s* judgment of the facts of your situation and is final.



• You cannot appeal that decision to the U.S. Department of Education.

What if you are a dependent student, but your parents are divorced or separated?

• You report information about the parent you lived with for the greater amount of time during the 12 months preceding the date you file your FAFSA application.



• If you didn’t live with either parent, or if you lived with each parent an equal amount of time, then use information about the parent who provided the greater amount of financial support during the 12 months prior to the date you file your FAFSA application.



• If you didn’t receive any parental financial support during that time, you must report information about the parent who most recently provided the greater amount of parental support.

Do I report stepparents’ information?

Your stepparent’s financial information is required on the FAFSA:

• If the parent you received financial support from was a single parent who is now married, or



• If the parent you received financial support from was divorced or widowed but has remarried.

This does not mean your stepparent is obligated to give financial assistance to you, but his or her income and assets represent significant information about the family’s financial resources. Including this information on the FAFSA helps us form an accurate picture of your family’s total financial strength.

Do I need to fill out a FAFSA every year I apply for aid?

Yes. You must reapply for federal student aid every year. If you change schools, your aid doesn’t automatically transfer with you. Remember to check with your new school to find out what you need to do to continue receiving financial aid.

For those who applied in 2008–09, there will be fewer questions to answer for 2009–10 because your FAFSA for the new year contains much of the information given in the 2008–09 application. Only the information that has changed since last year, such as your income and tax information, and any new questions must be answered. You can complete your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov between Jan. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010. Remember that states and schools may have earlier deadlines for nonfederal aid, so it’s important to check your state or school deadlines. State contact information is provided at the end of this guide.

To complete your FAFSA for subsequent years:

• In January 2009, you’ll receive notice (by e-mail or regular mail) reminding you to apply for the 2009–10 award year. The 2009–10 award year is July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010.



• You will need your PIN to access your 2009–10 FAFSA on the Web (also called a pre-filled FAFSA). Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and select "Fill Out a FAFSA." Follow the instructions to access your pre-filled FAFSA. Review the information on your FAFSA and change or add information as needed, sign and submit it.



• If you prefer to complete a paper application, you will have to answer all questions on the form, sign and mail it in for processing.



• You’ll then receive your Student Aid Report* (SAR) containing your application results (see page 33).



• Review your SAR to make sure all your information is correct.



• Check with your financial aid office, or contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) if you have questions about the FAFSA process for subsequent years.

What if I need help filling out my FAFSA?

• Help text is available and accessible for every question on the FAFSA if you apply online using FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. You can also get free live help online at this Web site.



• Free help is also available online at www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov/completefafsa.



• Contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) for assistance with any questions you have on either the paper or electronic FAFSA.



• Contact your high school guidance counselor or your college financial aid office.

How do the schools I’m interested in attending get my FAFSA information?

Schools listed on your FAFSA will automatically receive your FAFSA results electronically. You can list up to four schools on a paper FAFSA and up to ten schools on FAFSA on the Web.

What if I want to add or change schools later?

Using your PIN, you can go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and select "Add or Delete a School Code" to make changes online or you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). If you call, you’ll need your Data Release Number (DRN), which is located on your FAFSA on the Web Confirmation page and on your SAR.

Save all records and materials used to complete your FAFSA. Make a copy of your paper FAFSA or print the summary page of your FAFSA on the Web data and your confirmation page. You might need them later to prove the information you reported was accurate. The process of documenting the information you provided on the FAFSA is called verification. If your application is selected for verification and you do not provide the documents requested on time, you will not receive federal student aid and you might not receive aid from other nonfederal sources.