FAFSA QUICK FACTS

FAFSA is the free form to apply for grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans for college or career school. 

Typically, the FAFSA opens in October, but the dates vary. In your senior year, you need to complete the FAFSA between when they begin accepting applications and June if you are wanting to apply for grants, scholarships, work-study programs, and loans for college or career school after graduation.   

Contact your school of choice to confirm if it is an admission requirement for them. If you are only wanting to apply for TOPS, then you are not required to complete the FAFSA. Please see the LOSFA/TOPS page for further information. 

If you already have all of the required documents on hand, it takes most people 30 minutes to 1 hour to fill out the FAFSA form. 

• Go to Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) | USAGov 
• Follow the links to either create an account or to log into your account. 
• Complete the application at FAFSA® Application | Federal Student Aid 
• Please make sure to write down your login information in a safe place!

• Your StudentAid.gov account. See above on how to create this. 
• Your contributor information.  If you’re a dependent student, you’ll be required to invite one parent as a contributor on your FAFSA form. When your parent completes their sections of the form, they may be required to invite your other parent if they’re married (and not separated) but didn’t file taxes jointly. 
• Your federal income tax return.  You and your contributors must provide consent and approval to have your federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into your FAFSA form. You (and your contributors) must provide consent and approval even if you didn’t file a U.S. federal tax return or any tax return at all. 
• Records of child report received. 
• Records of your assets.  The FAFSA form will ask you and your contributors questions about your assets and investments, so make sure you have those records on hand. This includes the current balances of your cash, checking, and savings accounts; the current net worth of your businesses and/or income-producing farms; and the current net worth of your investments. Note: Your cash, checking, and savings accounts are considered assets, not investments. 
• List of schools you're interested in attending.  Be sure to add any colleges, career schools, or trade schools you’re considering, even if you haven’t applied or been accepted yet. You can list up to 20 schools on the online FAFSA form. 

• FAFSA® Checklist: What Students Need – Federal Student Aid
• Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) | USAGov 
• Eligibility Requirements:  Eligibility Requirements | Federal Student Aid