FAFSA - Free Application for Federal Student Aid
For students who are graduating from FCTS in the Spring of 202, and who are planning on entering college in the Fall of 202, you can fill out the FAFSA as early as October 1, 2022. Filing early is important, as funds are determined and awarded on a ‘first come first served' basis.
Applications can be submitted online through the Department of Education Website at FAFSA.gov (be aware of other websites with similar-looking addresses).
The official FAFSA application is free, and if you have gathered the information you need to file, it should take less than an hour to fill out the form.
Here is what you will probably need:
Federal Student Aid ID
To create a FSA ID, go to FSA ID
You can create an FSA ID prior to October 1, 2021
Federal Parent FSA ID
For students that are dependents (as most are), a parent or guardian will need an FSA account and ID to sign the FAFSA
To create a FSA ID go to FSA ID
Federal Income Tax Return
You may use your most recent return
You may use your ‘prior prior’ year return, meaning for admission to college in the Spring of 2022, you can use your tax return from 2020
For any tax returns, you can use the FAFSA IRS Data Retrieval Tool. This is a confidential way to embed your tax information into the application. You can find information on the Data Retrieval Tool at https://www.irs.gov/individuals/irs-offers-help-to-students-families-to-get-tax-information-for-student-financial-aid-applications
Your Parent’s or Custodian’s Federal Income Tax Return
Any existing bank balance statements, including checking and savings accounts
Information to report significant cash holdings
Current investment records, such as real estate, stocks, bonds
Records of untaxed income such as child support, interest, Veterans benefits
Your Driver's License (if you have one)
Your Social Security number
For non-U.S. citizens an alien registration or permanent resident card
A list of any colleges you are likely to apply to
FAFSA will send financial aid information to up to 10 schools (you can add more later). You can look up school Institutional Codes here:http://www.finaid.org/fafsa/tiv.phtml
You may include schools you might apply to, but are unsure
You should still file FAFSA even if you don’t know what schools you will apply to
The Massachusetts Educational Finance Authority (MEFA) has resources for families to help understand Financial Aid and the application process: Check out their important topics below:
MEFA FAFSA Links