Hey Scholars,
It is officially October and do you know what that means? *drum roll* The 2019-2020 FASFA is open! All students should complete the FAFSA regardless of whether they are receiving a scholarship. They could be eligible for more money, and I don’t mean loans.
Complete the FAFSA as soon as possible to increase your chances for the first come first served funding opportunities. Here is a list of what you’ll need to complete the FAFSA. If you are a dependent student, you will need this info for your parents as well.
- Your FSA ID
- Your 2017 tax information. The government changed the FAFSA for the 2017-2018 year, and they now require you to report your income from one tax year earlier than before. Because you probably already filed your 2017 taxes, you could be eligible to import you tax information directly into the FAFSA form thought the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. Look into that before you start the form
- Your social security number. If you’re not a US citizen but you meet basic eligibility requirements for non-US citizens, you’ll need your alien register number
- Your driver’s license number (if you have one)
- Records of your untaxed income (if you have any)
- Records of your assets (e.g., savings and checking account balances, the value of investments, etc.)
- List of the schools you are considering attending or currently attending
Pro tip! Some states require applicants to list their state’s schools first on the FAFSA to be eligible for state aid. Make sure to order your schools accordingly on the FAFSA if you’re interested in receiving state aid (and you probably should be!). Click here to get started on the FAFSA!
Happy October, everyone!
Dr. D.