How to Apply for Financial Aid Details

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FAFSA Online

Complete and mail a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as soon as possible after January 1 of each calendar year. The FAFSA determines eligibility for state, federal, and institutional aid based on information that is provided on the financial aid application. FAFSA applications are available at all CNM campuses.

Students may access the online FAFSA at Financial Aid and Scholarship Services Resource Center (Main or Montoya Campus) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Ask about it at either Financial Aid and Scholarship Services office at Main, Montoya campus or Enrollment Services at South Valley or Westside campuses.

Important:  If a FAFSA is filed electronically, a Signature/Certification page must be printed, signed, and if applicable have the student's parent(s) sign it. Then mail the page to the FAFSA Processor to complete the application process.

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Completing the FAFSA

• If a federal tax return was filed by the student in the prior year, it must be used to complete the "Income, Earnings and Benefits" section of the application since it requests specific information from the tax return.
• If a student did not file a tax return, don't worry, a federal tax return is not required receive financial aid.
• If you intend to file a income tax return for the prior year but have not yet done so, wait until you have completed it before you complete your financial aid application.
• If you are a dependent, the same advice applies:  wait until your parent(s) have completed the federal income tax returns before completing your financial aid application.

Other useful records to have on hand while completing a FAFSA are:

• W-2 forms, current bank statements, and, if applicable, records of benefits received from the Social Security Administration, Veterans Administration, Aid to Families with Dependent Children, and other agencies.

Do not mail any of these documents, but do save any records and other materials used to complete the application for future reference.

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