Your Guide to the FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) opens on Oct. 1! You may be eligible for FREE money to begin or continue your education journey.
What is the FAFSA?
FAFSA is a student and parent portal to apply for financial aid to help you pay for college. Depending on eligibility, students will be presented with multiple options to pay for their education, including grants and scholarships (money that doesn’t have to be repaid), loans (which are paid back at a later date with interest), and work-study opportunities (part-time work positions available at CFCC).
Why Should I Fill out the FAFSA?
Many students and parents think they may not qualify for financial aid and miss out on federal grants each year. The application is free with no obligation. Completing the FAFSA could be the critical factor that helps you achieve your educational goals.
Don’t be overwhelmed by the application process. The Federal Student Aid website will walk you through the application step-by-step.
When Do I Fill Out the FAFSA?
The FAFSA application opens every year on October 1 and stays open through the following June. For each year you attend college, the application has to be completed annually.
Federal funds are available from October through the June close date. However, specific state grants and other funds may end shortly after the application opens.
The earlier you apply, the more you maximize your opportunities for additional first-come, first-served grants.
What Do I Need to Fill Out the FAFSA?
Before you begin the application, gather the following information to make the process smooth:
- Student’s Social Security Number
- Parent’s Social Security Number
- Student’s Driver License Number (if they have one)
- Student’s Alien Registration Number (If they are not a U.S. citizen)
- Federal tax information or tax returns for the student. If the student is a dependent, they will also need their parent’s tax returns. Federal returns filed with the IRS can now be collected via the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, which is built into the FAFSA application. But, you will still need copies of the returns to enter specific information from the return
- Untaxed income information such as child support or other untaxed benefits
- Financial information such as bank account balances, investment accounts, and other assets
- School codes for the schools you want to attend. You can list up to 10. CFCC’s school code is 005320.
Where Do I Fill Out the FAFSA?
The application is available at studentaid.gov. You and/or your parents can visit the website to create your accounts before starting the application. Once you have your FSA IDs, then you can continue to the application located under the FAFSA Form in the portal menu or by clicking here FAFSA Form.
When will I Know if I Am Eligible?
Once your FAFSA application has been processed, CFCC’s Financial Aid department will be notified of your award. CFCC will then contact you with a Financial Aid award letter.
Students applying to CFCC can get real-time information about their financial aid by accessing their Self-Service account. Students can go to: https://selfservice.cfcc.edu/Student and log in to their account to access financial aid data, forms, and award amounts.
What are you waiting for? FAFSA is FREE to apply.
If you need further assistance, please visit cfcc.edu/financial-aid/ , where you can schedule an appointment with a Financial Aid counselor.
