Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

This application is the fundamental qualifying form used for all federal and government-guaranteed commercial lenders' programs, as well as for many state, regional and private student aid programs.

The Application Process

Students and families should complete their FAFSA as early as possible on or after January 1 of the year they will attend college. Students may request a paper FAFSA or complete the form online. The application must be completed every year in which the student wishes to receive federal financial assistance.

After receiving the completed FAFSA, Federal Student Aid uses the information provided to determine applicants’ Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by entering their responses into a formula from the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended. The EFC, along with a summary of the completed FAFSA information, is then sent to the applicant and the schools listed on the student’s FAFSA.

Schools then use the EFC to prepare the student’s financial aid package, often made up of a combination of loans, grants and/or work-study aid, to defer the cost of attendance.

Online Adoption of FAFSA

Today, over 90 percent of the 14.2 million yearly applicants apply for federal student aid electronically, an impressive adoption rate for what had been a process based entirely on a paper application only nine years ago.

Online submissions of the FAFSA have resulted in a dramatic increase in the speed, accuracy and efficiency of applying for student aid. For example, Federal Student Aid can identify errors and missing information as students are completing the online form and immediately prompt the applicants to correct the data. Current customer-satisfaction ratings for FAFSA on the Web surpass most public sector benchmarks, comparing favorably to high performing private sector brands.

FAFSA4caster

Students and families can use FAFSA4caster to help them financially prepare and plan for college before they’re ready to file the FAFSA. FAFSA4caster provides students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal student aid. Read more about FAFSA4caster here.