What’s the FAFSA? It’s a really important federal online application that opens the door to possible financial aid for college or trade school. Filling it out is critical to determining the affordability of higher education. FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid and is administered by the United States Department of Education.
Financial Aid is usually handed out on a first-come, first-served basis, so the sooner the FAFSA is filed, the better.
Is it easy to fill out? Kind of. The hardest part is establishing the FSA ID, which enables filling out the FAFSA. Once you’ve proven your identity and verified your personal information, it’s time to fill out the tax information.
If your (or your parents’ or legal guardians’) tax information is easily accessible, filling out the FAFSA shouldn’t take long. If tracking down that income and tax information is not easy, filling out the FAFSA will be challenging. For tips on getting independent student status or acquiring the documents, take a look here.
Once all the information is provided, the Federal Student Aid office will share the information with the selected educational institutions and you should get a financial aid offer soon.