FAFSA

FAFSA

FAFSA illustration

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Students complete the FAFSA annually to qualify for federal and state financial aid. The online application (fafsa.gov) becomes available on October 1 of each year. Students and families can begin applying for the FAFSA during the student’s senior year of high school, or in future years when students are enrolled in college.

What do I need to complete the FAFSA?

Social Security Number

A student completing the FAFSA must have a Social Security Number. For this reason, undocumented students are unable to complete the FAFSA. However, the situation may be different for a family of mixed citizenship status.

In a mixed citizenship situation, the student is a US citizen and has a Social Security Number but the parents are undocumented and without a Social Security Number. In this scenario, the student is able to apply for federal financial aid because they are a US citizen with a Social Security Number. See below for more information on how undocumented parents may be involved in their student’s FAFSA, as long as that student is a US citizen with a Social Security Number.

StudentAid.gov Account

Each student and their contributors (usually parents) must create StudentAid.gov accounts. Contributors are anyone required to provide information, a signature, and consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly into the FAFSA form. This information will be used to determine a Student Aid Index.

For a mixed citizenship status family, the student will create their own StudentAid.gov account. They then will invite their parents to create a StudentAid.gov account. Any parent that is not a US Citizen will indicate and check a box acknowledging that they do not have a social security number. The parent will still have to provide consent and approval to have income information transferred from the IRS and will need to provide their electronic signature.

How does my college/university use the FAFSA?

In order for a college to use the information provided to the FAFSA, a student must designate those schools. College and career school codes can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/fafsa-apply/colleges. 

The FAFSA School Code for the University of Arizona is 001083. You may elect to share your FAFSA data with up to 20 college and career schools.

The college you attend will estimate your cost of attendance and then use the Student Aid Index to determine your financial need. Once they determine this they can put together a financial aid package to help you pay for college. The financial aid package they put together can include grants, work-study, student loans, and any scholarships that you have received. 

When should I file my FAFSA?

FAFSA is released on October 1 of every year. 

The FAFSA priority submission dates for Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Arizona have been extended to May 1, 2024, however, all three universities encourage students and families to submit their FAFSA Form as soon as possible if they have not done so already. Refer to other colleges and universities to learn about their priority deadlines. Please note that FAFSA may also be completed beyond the priority deadline, but this may limit the financial aid you are eligible to receive. Again, please work to submit your FAFSA as early as possible.

Where can I find the FAFSA?

Most students complete the FAFSA online. Go to fafsa.gov (NOT fafsa.com - this site will charge you for help completing your FAFSA) to start your FAFSA or learn more about it. While the online FAFSA is recommended, you also can find the Paper FAFSA in .pdf form. Keep in mind that the online version is faster and more accurate. Errors on the paper version can delay the government’s ability to determine your eligibility for financial aid.

Where can I find help completing the FAFSA?

Estimate your Financial Aid

You can estimate your financial aid by using the Federal Student Aid Estimator.