Your FAFSA Questions Answered

Submitting the FAFSA is the only way to get federal financial aid, including Pell grants, work-study programs and federal student loans.

You also often need to file the FAFSA to qualify for state and institutional aid, such as scholarships.

All students should file the FAFSA, even if they think their parents make too much money to qualify. That’s because not all financial aid is based on need. For example, you could qualify for a merit scholarship that requires the FAFSA to be on file.

If you don’t qualify for need-based aid programs, you typically can still borrow unsubsidized federal student loans.

Complete the FAFSA as close to the opening date as possible to ensure you receive the maximum amount of aid. In some states, financial aid is disbursed on a rolling basis. That means it’s first come, first served, so find out your state’s FAFSA deadline.

To submit the FAFSA electronically, use the form on the Federal Student Aid website. Before you can submit, you’ll need an FSA ID. It’s a username and password used to sign in to federal student aid websites. You’ll also need the FSA ID to sign the FAFSA and promissory notes electronically.

Before you fill out the FAFSA, get all documents together to make the process easier. U.S. citizens typically need their Social Security number, driver’s license number and tax and income records. Use this FAFSA checklist to determine exactly what you’ll need.

You’re considered an independent student if you answer "yes" to any of the dependency status questions on the student aid website.

On the 2023-24 form, for example, if you were born before Jan. 1, 2000, you are considered an independent student. You’re also considered independent if you are married, a veteran, homeless, enrolled in a graduate program, or you provide a certain amount of support to dependents or children.

In past years, including the 2023-24 FAFSA, the parent you lived with the most over the past 12 months was the primary parent responsible for filling out the FAFSA. For the 2024-25 FAFSA, the primary or "custodial" parent will be the one who has provided the most financial support over the last 12 months.

If you’re considered a dependent, you’ll need your parents' financial information to access most financial aid. If your parents decline to help, you can still file the FAFSA and could get unsubsidized student loans.

You can use the Federal Student Aid Estimator tool to estimate the type and amount of aid you may be eligible to receive. Once you submit the FAFSA, you will get your Federal Student Aid report (replaced by the FAFSA Submission Summary beginning with the 2024-25 FAFSA).

It contains all the answers you provided on the FAFSA and the amount your family is expected to pay, known as your expected family contribution. If you don’t have an EFC, your FAFSA likely contains an error that you need to correct.

Yes. If you want to keep getting federal loans and grants, you’ll have to apply for financial aid every year. Because it won't be your first time filling out the FAFSA, you already know what to expect. And if your parents’ income hasn’t changed since last year, you'll likely receive a comparable amount of student aid.

Don’t wait for them to file taxes before you submit the FAFSA. Filers must report prior-prior-year taxes. For example, on the 2023-24 FAFSA form, you need to report 2021 tax information.

You can import tax information into the FAFSA form by using the IRS data retrieval tool. Starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA, the Direct Data Exchange will replace the IRS data retrieval tool.

Uncertainty about where you plan to apply shouldn’t stop you from submitting the FAFSA. If you submit the form online, you can include FAFSA codes for up to 10 schools where you plan to apply. The 2024-25 FAFSA application allows applicants to include up to 20 schools. If you file a paper form, you can include up to four schools. You can always update your FAFSA at fafsa.gov if you need to add more schools.

Visit the Federal School Code Search to locate your college or university's code to include on the FAFSA.

Your results, known as your Student Aid Report (or FAFSA Submission Summary for the 2024-25 FAFSA and beyond), will arrive by email or mail between three days and three weeks after you submit the form, depending on your application method.

The report provides basic information about financial aid eligibility, including your answers to questions on the FAFSA. It also specifies your expected family contribution, which is the amount your family must pay toward your education. Colleges use your EFC to determine your financial aid package. The Student Aid Index or SAI will replace the EFC, starting on the 2024-25 FAFSA.

Yes. Use your FSA ID to log into fafsa.gov to update information if you find any errors, if your family’s financial situation changes or if you want to send your Student Aid Report (or FAFSA Submission Summary, starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA) to more schools.

On the “My FAFSA” page, click on “Make FAFSA Corrections.” You can then make a save key, change the information and resubmit your application. Making changes can impact your aid.

You can make changes up until the FAFSA deadline – June 30 after the school year you need aid. For the 2023-24 award year, the deadline is June 30, 2024.

Once you choose a college to attend and receive an aid offer, you must indicate what aid you want to use for the upcoming school year. Accept aid in this order: grant and scholarship money, work-study, subsidized federal student loans and then unsubsidized federal student loans.