FAFSA
Federal Aid - FAFSA
FAFSA is the starting point for State and Federal Aid administered as grants (Cal Grant and Pell Grant) and loans.
• FAFSA can be filed online at studentaid.gov. It must be resubmitted every year and requires parent income until the student is 26, except in cases where the student is considered to be independent.
• FAFSA opens in December of senior year, and closes on March 2nd for CSU and UC campuses. Private schools will have different deadlines – make sure you aware of those deadlines!
- Earlier submission means earlier notification of grant money, not necessarily more money! As long as you apply within the open window, funding availability should remain the same for FAFSA.
• To avoid the need for updating information, the FAFSA uses the prior, prior year tax information. For example, a student applying in the Fall of 2024 for the 2024-25 school year, will use their parents’ 2018 tax information.
o Tax information can be downloaded from the IRS via the Data Retrieval Tool (DRT). Taking advantage of the DRT prevents the future request for an IRS transcript from the college financial aid office.
• Students and one parent need an FSA ID in order to sign and submit the FAFSA. The FSA ID will be needed each year – so be sure to save the information. Create your FSA ID at studentaid.gov