WHAT IS FAFSA?
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form is used to determine the amount of money a family is expected to contribute to the price of attending a postsecondary institution. The results of the FAFSA are used in determining grant and loan amounts.
Federal Student Loan: A loan funded by the federal government to help pay for your education. A federal student loan is borrowed money you must repay with interest.
Grant: Financial aid, often based on financial need, that does not need to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund).
WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO COMPLETE THE FAFSA APPLICATION?
Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA!)
Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student
Your driver’s license number, if you have one
Your Alien Registration number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
Foreign tax return and/or
Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents, if you are a dependent student
Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
Keep these records! You may need them again. Do not mail your records.
WILL PAST OFFENSES HINDER MY ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID?
Yes. If you are convicted of a drug-related offense after you submit the FAFSA, you might lose eligibility for federal student aid. Also, If you have been convicted of a forcible or nonforcible sexual offense, and you are subject to an involuntary civil commitment upon completion of a period of incarceration for that offense, you cannot receive a Federal Pell Grant.