Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is used to apply for federal student financial aid, including grants, loans and work-study.  In addition, it is used by most states and schools of higher ed. to award non-federal student financial aid.  Filling out the FAFSA and applying for student financial aid is free.  Copies of the FAFSA will be available toward the end of November, but because families must use their 2003 income information to complete it, the FAFSA cannot be submitted prior to January 1, 2004.

Here’s a list of what you will need to complete your FAFSA:

*Your social security numbers (parents and students)
*Your driver’s license number, if you have one (student only)
*Your W-2 forms (parents and students)
*Your federal income tax return (parents and students)
*Your current bank statements and records of stocks, bonds,
  and other investments
*Your records of other untaxed income received, such as Social
 Security,  Temporary Assistance to Needy Families,
  (TANF), welfare or veteran’s benefits
*Your business or farm records, if applicable
*Your alien registration number, if you are not a U.W. citizen

Remember, income records for the calendar year prior to the academic year for which you are applying for financial aid must be used.  For example, you must use 2003 income information to complete the 2004-2005 FAFSA.

All students who will continue their education beyond high school and who want to be considered for financial aid must submit a FAFSA form.  The FAFSA can be submitted through the mail (which takes 4-6 weeks to process) or electronically (which takes less than 2 weeks to process).  Students cannot submit their FAFSA before January 1, and the priority deadline for Kansas schools is March 1.  As you can see, the window for submission is small. Students (and their parents) who plan to file electronically should get a jump on the process by applying for a PIN (Personal Identification Number) NOW so that signature pages will not have to be mailed in. To apply for a PIN, go to www.pin.ed.gov and register.  Pin requests take several days to process, so do it today.