The FAFSA FORM

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started
To complete FAFSA on the Web, go to www.fafsa.ed.gov and click on "Getting Started." You will also need a PIN in order to electronically sign your application. If you are a dependent, the parent or parents providing their financial information will need a PIN also. If you are a new applicant and you or your parent(s) do not have a PIN, you can obtain more information about the Pin at www.pin.ed.gov. The Department mailed a PIN to students who applied for aid during the previous award year. If you have any questions about the PIN process, you should either visit the above listed web site

or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). You can submit a FAFSA on the Web application without a PIN, but if you do, you, and your parents, if applicable, will need to submit a signature page with the proper signatures included.

To complete a paper FAFSA, first obtain an application from the school you plan to attend, from a high school counselor, from your local library, or by contacting the FSAIC at the telephone number listed at the beginning of this document. Once you begin to fill out the paper form, use black ink. Dollar amounts should be rounded to the nearest whole dollar. Dates must be reported in numbers in the boxes provided, and numbers below 10 should have a zero in front. (For instance, April would be reported as 04.) Print clearly in capital letters and skip a space between words.

You – and your parents, if applicable – need the following records to answer questions on the FAFSA:

• Your Social Security card
• Your driver's license
• Your Alien Registration Receipt Card (if applicable)
• Your W-2 Forms and other records of money earned
• Your income tax return
• Records of untaxed income including Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, and veterans benefits
• Records of child support paid
• Records of taxable earnings from Federal Work-Study or other need-based work programs
• Records of student grant, scholarship, and fellowship aid, including AmeriCorps awards, that was included in your (or your parents') AGI Stock, bond, and other investment records
• Business and farm records
• Current bank statements
  

If you are a dependent student, you will need all the records listed above from your parents except for their driver's licenses.

Sending in Your Application
Double-check your answers to make sure they are complete and accurate. Be sure you have provided the necessary signatures electronically or on paper. If you are applying electronically, follow the online instructions to submit your application. If you are applying on paper, do not put letters, tax forms, Worksheets A, B, and C, or any extra materials in the envelope provided. They will be destroyed. Put the form (pages 3 through 6) in the envelope. If no envelope is provided, mail the FAFSA to:

Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 4001
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864-8601

You should print out a copy of your FAFSA on the Web application (or make a copy of your paper FAFSA) for your files before you submit it. Also keep any worksheets you completed. Your school may ask to see them later.

If you, your spouse, or your parents have unusual circumstances (such as loss of employment or major medical expenses) that might affect your need for financial aid, you should notify the financial aid offices at all of the schools listed on the FAFSA (or those schools you expect to apply to) as soon as possible.

Receiving Student Aid
Aid from the federal student aid programs will be paid to you through your school. The school will notify you of your aid package by sending you an award letter. Your aid awards will likely be disbursed each semester, quarter, or other payment period. Typically, your school will first use the aid to pay tuition and fee charges and room and board, if provided by the school. Any remainder will be paid to you for your other education-related expenses.

Each school you list on the FAFSA will prepare a financial aid package to help meet your financial need. Financial need is the difference between your school's cost of attendance (including living expenses), as calculated by your school, and your Expected Family Contribution.

The amount of your financial aid award will be affected by whether you're a full-time or part-time student and whether you attend school for a full academic year or less.

If you believe that you have special circumstances that should be taken into account in determining your financial need, contact the financial aid administrator at the school awarding your aid. Special circumstances might include unusual medical or dental expenses or a significant change in income from one year to the next. Please note that the financial aid administrator's decision is final and cannot be appealed to the U.S. Department of Education.