To maximize financial aid opportunities at State Fair Community College, students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). By completing the FAFSA you will be considered for federal or state financial, and some scholarships.
With the launch of a new 2024-2025 FAFSA application follow these steps to make sure you’ve completed the FAFSA application.
REMEMBER: You Don’t Have to Pay for Help With the FAFSA® Form
If you are asked for your credit card information while filling out the FAFSA form online, you are not at the official government site. Remember, the FAFSA site address has .gov in it! The FAFSA® form is free. Fill out the FAFSA form on StudentAid.gov/fafsa.
What to do NOW to prepare for filing the FAFSA?
Step 1
Learn about applying for financial aid with the FAFSA form
- The FAFSA is the first step to securing financial aid to help you pay for college
- The information you provide on the FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid from federal, state, and some scholarships.
- Watch this 2-minute video to learn how the FAFSA works:
Step 2
Determine who your “Contributors” are on the FAFSA.
- Contributors are people who need to complete information on the FAFSA. This does not mean they have a financial obligation to pay for your education.
- Contributors provide consent and approval to have their federal tax information transferred directly from the IRS into the FAFSA, then sign it.
- Contributors could be…
- You (the student)
- Biological or adoptive parent
- Parent’s spouse (a step-parent)
- Student’s spouse
- Learn more about what a contributor is in this 2-minute video:
Step 3
Set up access to your studentaid.gov account — this is called your Federal Student Aid ID or “FSA ID”.
You must complete this step at least three days before attempting to complete the FAFSA. Do it now so you’re ready!
- Your FSA ID is a username and password that gives you access to your student aid account
- Go to studentaid.gov and follow the instructions to create your account
- If you’ve filled out the FAFSA before, you already have an FSA ID. Check your account and reset your password if you don’t remember it.
Watch this quick video to review the FSA ID setup process:
Step 4
Gather information and documents you need to complete the FAFSA form:
- Having this info ready to go ahead of time will help you avoid delays
- For each of your contributors (see step 1), you will need:
- Name
- Social Security Number (SSN)
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Each contributor must provide consent on the FAFSA to allow their tax info to be automatically shared from the IRS
- If a contributor refuses to provide consent, you will be ineligible for need-based financial aid programs
- Other helpful documents contributors might want to gather to ensure accuracy:
- Tax returns
- Records of child support received
- Current balances of savings and checking accounts
- Net worth of investments
- Net worth of businesses and farms
Watch this two-minute video on gathering info for the FAFSA:
