Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
What is the FAFSA & how does it work? |
Steps to FAFSA
- Plan Early
- Plan how you will pay for college! Ask your school counselor and financial aid office about state, college, and nonprofit grants and scholarships you can apply for. Be sure to meet application deadlines. Start saving!
- Fill out the FAFSA Application
- EACH YEAR, you may apply for federal grants, work-study, and loans with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) form. Your college uses your FAFSA data to determine your federal aid eligibility and many use it to award their own scholarships.
- Check Your Email Often
- The college will send information about what aid they are offering you. They may also need additional information before they make that decision. Compare the costs and aid offers from each college. You will need to accept the aid from the school by a certain deadline. Let the school know of other scholarships you are receiving.
- Get Paid
- Yay! The school's financial aid office will apply your aid to the amount you owe the school first. They will then send you the remaining balance to spend on other college costs! One of the requirements to maintain financial aid eligibility is that you must take a certain amount of credits and do well in those classes.
- Graduate
- If you received Pell Grants for your schooling, you do not need to pay those back! If you accepted a loan, you will have a six-month grace period before having to make payments. There are a few different repayment plans.