FAFSA Help Step by Step

by Bionnica
(De Kalb, MS United States )

FAFSA HELP - The FAFSA application for student financial aid can be a confusing process. The majority of colleges accept FAFSA as financial support to help pay for college expenses. There are numerous of ways to apply. First, you may talk with your financial aid counselor at your local school to help you apply and some may even walk you through the steps while applying. Also FAFSA can be applied online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This link will lead you directly to the FAFSA webpage to fill out your application. Once on home page students can click link for “Start New FAFSA” or “Returning User”. Click on “Start A New FAFSA.

Once page appears there will be a few questions to answer such as name, social security number, birth date, and etc… I found it easier to always revise before I click next. This info is to get you started on an open account. Create and Save your username and password for later use. It is viable information. Next you will be asked your pin. If the student doesn’t have a pin they can create one at this time. With creating a pin this will allow you to go to a differ webpage in which the site will link you to create one by entering personal info that only the student can access. Once this process is finish, the student can exit the page and go back into his/her FAFSA account to complete application.

Save your pin this is credible info you will need later. At this point the student can now click next to continue their FAFSA. Next, will be questions regarding student demographics (which is basic info). Also students can see a list of helpful and hints answers on the right hand side of the screen to help with filling out the form throughout the entire application. After clicking next there will be a page for you to list up to 10 schools the student may want to attend. It’s a quicker process if you already have the school codes available. FAFSA will also allow you to find the schools as well to add to your list if you would like.

I also found it is best to add housing on campus as a place to live while applying now. This will help cover the student living on campus if he/she decides to stay financial aid will already be considered to help pay the expenses for housing.

On the next page are questions relating to dependency status this will determine your status while enroll in school (independent or dependent). More than likely if you are not taking care of any one you will be label as a dependent. So with the next few question I found it easier to have my parents or my parents’ info with me including previous tax papers and pin, because the next few questions will be about their income. If they have filed taxes then you are required to put their info for taxes in. If not just click what best suit your situation and answer from there.

The system will tell you midpoint if you are eligible for financial aid and once sign by both you and your parent you can submit your application. Once completed and sent the FAFSA will also create a page and email you regarding your Schools Info, EFC, Pell Grant amount, and Direct Loans amount. Save the info!! Again if you as the student have all of your information in front of you once you start your application you can finish it that day. If not all info call is saved until you decide to reassess it later.

Good Luck!!
Read more FAFSA Help from other students and parents who have been through process.

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Comment from your friendly team at College Financial Aid Advice

Thank you Bionnica for sharing your story about FAFSA Help Step by Step. The FAFSA or Free Application for Federal Student Aid is easier to complete if you go one step at a time.

Once is enough right?

by Jaboris Brown
(Miami, FL)

So now you’re ready to begin your life as a student. You applied to the school of your dreams, took your old suitcase out of the attic, and maybe even howled at the moon because you’re finally leaving home. Well guess again! How will you afford that pricey tuition all on your own? You and your parents work your butts off, yet still barely scratching the surface of the mountain of fees. Your temperature rises and your knees tremble at the thought of having to stay just one more year at home. Well there’s still hope. That hope comes in the form of a student aid form called the FAFSA.

The FAFSA can be broken down into basically three categories. Your basic Info; such as where you plan to go to school, your name, your age, etc. Your Financial Information; Which is just basically the information regurgitated from your taxes of that year. And lastly, your parent’s financial info; the same as yours except from their taxes.

Now this may be of a shock to you, but that’s the easy portion. Because once you’re all set and done with regurgitating your info, you are set, at least for the moment. What’s next after you have finished signing the FAFSA? Well there’s this annoying line when visiting your schools financial aid department. In some cases, once you fill out the Form you’re smooth sailing. Yet if it’s anything at all like my experience, then you’ll have to deal with the dreaded Dependent Student Verification Worksheet.

The Student Dependent Verification Worksheet is equivalent to those random checks at the airport. They tell you to step off to the side of the line, take off your shoes, and basically play Simon Says until their satisfied. Like the airport, your school may randomly choose you. Instead of you stepping to the side, your application is put to the side until you come back with this worksheet filled out. What’s on this worksheet isn’t anything you haven’t already seen on the FAFSA, in fact you are again just rewriting on this. Yes I daresay it’s the circle of life repeating itself.

Wow! Finally finished are we? Well, not quite for now you may need proof of your taxes. Hmm well that seems simple enough and in most cases it is. Yet what happens if your life is a clutter and you lost them? Now you have to go contact the IRS and wait the 4 to 6 weeks for a new Proof of Filed Taxes. Well maybe it doesn’t take that long, but it does take about that for your school to verify all of your information.

Read more FAFSA Help from other students and parents who have been through process.

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Comment from your friendly team at College Financial Aid Advice

Thank you Jaboris for sharing your experience with FAFSA. you are right that submitting the FAFSA is just the first step, and you may be asked to supply additional verification and proof to complete your financial aid application process. Good luck to you.

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