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Complete 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.
Students may access the online FAFSA at Financial Aid and Scholarship Services Resource Center (Main, Montoya, or Westside campus) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. Ask about it at either Financial Aid and Scholarship Services office at Main, Montoya, or Westside campus or Enrollment Services at South Valley campus.
Completing the FAFSA
- If you filed a federal tax return 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 you did not file a tax return, don't worry, a federal tax return is not required to receive Financial Aid.
- If you intend to file a Federal 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.
