FAFSA- What is it?
The FAFSA, officially known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the form that families fill out to apply for federal grants, loans, and work-study funds for college students. It is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, which provides more than $150 billion in student aid each year.
Your eligibility for federal grants (which don’t have to be repaid) and federal loans (which do) will generally be based on your financial need, as determined by the information you supply on your FAFSA. You can get a preview of whether the FAFSA is likely to qualify you for federal grants by using the FAFSA4caster on the Department of Education website.
Even if the FAFSA4caster indicates that your family’s income and assets put you out of the range for grants, it’s still worth going ahead and completing the FAFSA. That’s because most colleges, state scholarship agencies, and foundations use the FAFSA in deciding who gets their scholarship money, as well as how much each student will receive. Also, filing a FAFSA automatically qualifies you for low-cost federal student loans of at least $5,500 a year.
What is needed to complete the FAFSA?
First, both parent AND student will need to apply for an FSA ID Number. This can be done at https://fsaid.ed.gov
Once both the student and parent have created their FSA ID Numbers, they can begin filling out the FAFSA.
Parents will need to have on hand their tax return that was filed for 2018. Information from the federal income tax form will be used to calculate the amount of financial aid a student qualifies for.
CHS Financial Aid Night
In November, Coronado High School will be hosting a FAFSA Night for all seniors and their parents. This Financial Aid/FAFSA workshop will start promptly at 4:30 and conclude at 6:45 PM. This workshop will offer a pre-recorded presentation with a live Q and A session at the end of the webinar. Information will also be available for TASFA applicants.
Flyer coming soon