FAFSA is a free application for college bound students to see if they qualify for federal grants and/or loans. Completing the application does not obligate the student to take what is offered, it just lets them know what they qualify for.

If a student only qualifies for loans or does not qualify for anything, it is still important to complete the FAFSA. Part of the application is to list colleges the student has apllied to.  The FAFSA is sent to these colleges. Colleges have hundreds of grants and scholarships and not all are need based. There can be grants and/or scholarships the student may qualify for but they will not be considered unless they submit a completed FAFSA.

The first step in completing the FAFSA is for the student and one parent to obtain an FSA ID. An FSA ID allows the parent and the student (if the student filed taxes) to electronic link the student's FAFSA to the IRS to download a previous year's tax information (for current seniors starting college in the fall of 2017, 2015 tax information is required). It also allows the student and the parent to electronically sign the FAFSA. If the FAFSA is not signed electronically, it has to be printed and mailed to FAFSA and to each college. This could delay the process and the grant and scholarship money could be gone by the time the paperwork is received and processed.

For more information, to obtain an FSA ID and to begin the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, click the first link below. To obtain the FSA ID click the lock icon on the FAFSA website or use the second link below:

https://fafsa.ed.gov/

FSA ID

 Here are some links to great FAFSA resources.

understandingFAFSA.org

FAFSA Powerpoint

How to Complete the FAFSA

For information about scholarships, be sure the visit the scholarship page under Resources on the high school's website.