FAQs: Filling Out a FAFSA
Have more questions? Additional frequently asked questions are
available in the FAFSA FAQs section of
FAFSA on the Web.
What
records do I need to complete my FAFSA?
In order to successfully complete a FAFSA application, you may need information
from one or more of the documents found on the Documents Needed
page.
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What
do I need to keep in mind when filling out the FAFSA?
- The words "you" and "your" always mean the
student. The word "school" means a college, university,
graduate or professional school, community college, vocational
or technical school, or any other school beyond high school.
- Round to the nearest dollar and do not use commas or decimal
points.
- For dates, type numbers that correspond to the month, day, and
year. For example, for November 7, 1974, enter 11071974.
- Questions about your plans and references to the "school
year" mean the school year from July 1, 2004 through June
30, 2005.
- Do not include notes, tax forms, or letters.
- Check with your financial aid administrator if you have unusual
circumstances.
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What
is the importance of submitting accurate information?
WARNING: You must fill out
this form accurately. The information that you supply can be verified
by your school, your state, or by the U.S. Department of Education.
You may be asked to provide U.S. income tax returns and other information.
If you cannot or do not provide these records to your school, you
may not get federal student aid.
If you get federal student aid based on incorrect information,
you will have to pay it back; you may also have to pay fines and
fees. If you purposely give false or misleading information on your
application, you may be fined $20,000, sent to prison, or both.
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What
is the difference between a Renewal FAFSA and the FAFSA?
The Renewal FAFSA (both the paper and web versions) uses your
answers from the FAFSA you filed last year to pre-fill most of
the application.This significantly reduces the time it will take
you to fill out this year's FAFSA.
If you choose to use a Renewal FAFSA, you will only need to provide
current answers to financial and tax questions. You must also
update any information that has changed since last year.
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Can
I submit a Renewal FAFSA using FAFSA
on the Web?
Yes. You can use Renewal FAFSA on
the Web to submit a Renewal FAFSA, but you will need a PIN to access
the Renewal FAFSA on the Web application.
From the FAFSA on the Web home page
(www.fafsa.ed.gov), select the Fill
out a Renewal FAFSA option from the "Filling Out a FAFSA"
section. Then select the application you want to complete based
on the school year you will be attending school.
You can also complete and submit a paper Renewal FAFSA if you receive
one through the mail.
If your school participates in Electronic Data Exchange (EDE),
you can also reapply for financial aid using this application
system. Speak with your school's financial aid office for more
information about this method.
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Can
I apply for aid using FAFSA Corrections on the Web?
No. You cannot use FAFSA Corrections on the Web to apply for financial
aid. You must use FAFSA on the Web or
Renewal FAFSA on the Web to apply for
financial aid.
You can, however, use FAFSA Corrections on the Web to make corrections
and update your previously submitted application data.
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What is a PIN for?
See the PINs FAQ for more information about what the PIN can be used for.
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How
do I save an incomplete 2004-2005 FAFSA?
When you begin a FAFSA on the Web,
Renewal on the Web, or FAFSA Correction on the Web form you are
asked to "login." This creates a file where you can save
your form at any point during the process.
NOTE: This does not automatically
save your application! You must still select the SAVE
button at the bottom of a page to save your entered data to that
point.
After selecting the SAVE button at the bottom of a form's
page you see a page with one of the two following messages: "Save
Successful" or "Session Expired."
If you see the message indicating a successful save you have the
option to "Go to Form" and continue from the point where
you selected the SAVE button, or "Exit" allowing
you to exit the application entirely.
If you see the message that indicates that the save has expired
you must either restore a previous successfully saved application,
or restart the form if you have not saved at any point previously.
If you restore a previous application then you have only the data
that was entered prior to that particular save; anything entered
after that point will have been lost.
If an error occurrs while trying to save your application, please
try to save again later.
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How do I open a saved 2004-2005 FAFSA?
If you did not complete your 2004-2005 FAFSA on the Web application
and you saved it to our database, then you can continue from where
you left off by retrieving your saved application.
To open your saved FAFSA application:
- Select Continue working on a
saved FAFSA, under the "Filling Out a FAFSA" section, from
the FAFSA on the Web home page
- Select 2004-2005 from the the school year dropdown menu and
the type of application you were working on.
- Enter the login information you used to save your application.
- Select the Next button.
- Your application will resume from where you last left off.
If your information was not found in our database and it has been
less than 45 days, select the "Try Again" link on the
resulting page and verify the login information you entered.
If the login information is correct and we do not have an application
for you on our database, you must start a new application.
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How
do I electronically sign my FAFSA?
Before you can sign your FAFSA electronically, you must request
a PIN, if you don't already have one in hand. A PIN is the code
that you need to sign your FAFSA, Renewal or Corrections on the
Web electronically. It's similar to the PIN you use to access your
bank account. To protect the privacy of the information you are
submitting on this form, you must keep your PIN secret.
If you or your parents are already on file with the U.S. Department
of Education, you do not need to register for a PIN. You can request
a PIN at the PIN Web site. Use the PIN registration form on the
Web to update the e-mail or mailing address where we will send your
PIN.
When you have your PIN, follow these steps to sign your FAFSA:
- Go to the FAFSA on the Web site
at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
- Select the Provide Electronic
Signature option under the "Filling Out a FAFSA" section.
- Select the school year of the application you want to sign.
- Confirm your identity by providing your Social Security Number,
first two letters of your last name, your date of birth and your
PIN number.
- Indicate whether you are signing as a parent or a student.
- Enter the necessary information about the student if you are
signing as a parent.
- If you do not receive a confirmation page and number at the
end of the process, then we have NOT received your electronic
signature.
You can check the status of your FAFSA after you submit
it by going to FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
Select the Check status of a submitted
FAFSA option under the FAFSA Follow-up section. If
you do not receive your SAR, call the Federal Student Aid Information
Center. Please refer to the Customer Service
page for contact and assistance
information by selecting this link.
Additional Notes on Signing Electronically
You and your parents, if they have their own PIN, can electronically
sign a FAFSA Web application using
a PIN. This includes the FAFSA on the Web, Renewal FAFSA on the
Web, and FAFSA Corrections on the Web. Since you need a PIN to access
and complete your Renewal FAFSA or FAFSA Corrections record, you
do not need to sign these separately.
You must indicate whether you are signing as a parent or student.
If you are signing as a parent, then you must provide information
about the student.
If you do not have a PIN, you can request one by selecting the
Register for a PIN option
under the "Before Beginning a FAFSA" section from the FAFSA on the
Web home page, and choosing Apply
for PIN from the "PIN Request and Information" option.
If you are a dependent
student, at least one parent must sign your application. You
and your parents can sign your FAFSA electronically or print and
sign a paper signature page or use a combination of both.
If you are an independent
student, you do not need to submit a paper signature page if
you are completing a Renewal FAFSA on
the Web or Corrections on the Web. You need a PIN to access these
applications, and your PIN also serves as an electronic signature.
Therefore, no separate signature process is required.
If you are a graduate
health profession student, you may be required to provide information
about your parents, even if you are independent. If you are unsure
whether your course of study is considered a graduate health profession
program, contact your financial aid administrator.
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