Hello, October: It’s FAFSA Season It’s the first week of October – time for the leaves to change colors, the air to get crisper, and for you to start thinking about the FAFSA. Beginning October 1, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens. And while having to fill out another form during the college application process might not sound like fun, the FAFSA is vital to your college career. Regardless of who you are – a high school senior, current college student, or an adult returning to school – anyone who is thinking about enrolling in a postsecondary program for the 2019-2020 academic year needs to fill out the FAFSA. The FAFSA, along with the actual college application, is the most important form you can fill out and submit during the application process. Why? Because it unlocks financial resources that can help you pay for your education. Not only is it the gateway to federal dollars, colleges use the information on the FAFSA to determine the amount of institutional aid they award as well. It’s also important to complete the FAFSA as early as you can, as financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Now, you may think you don’t need to complete the FAFSA if you and/or your family make a certain amount of money. But we cannot stress this enough: EVERYONE should complete a FAFSA – regardless of income level. Financial aid may still be available and, as we previously said, colleges use the FAFSA to determine how much institutional aid they may award. So you know you have to fill out the FAFSA – but how do you do it? First, you must obtain your FSA ID. The FSA ID is the username and password you use on federal student aid websites such as fafsa.gov and studentloans.gov. You can obtain your FSA ID on the Federal Student Aid website. Once you have your FSA ID, make an appointment with the College Now advisor in your school or with an advisor in the College Now Resource Center. An advisor will be able to walk you through every step of the process and make sure you are filling out the FAFSA completely and accurately. Before your appointment, you’ll need to gather the materials you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA. This includes:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
- Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned. (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)
- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
- Your FSA ID
