Complete FAFSA

What is a FAFSA

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Filing the FAFSA each year qualifies you for institutional and federal aid programs. Federal aid is available regardless of income level. The FAFSA also provides calculated information that outside scholarships may request from you for awarding purposes.

Remember to file on time. Priority programs with limited funding are often awarded to students who file the FAFSA between January 1st but prior to March 1st. FAFSA applications received after March 1, will be considered for aid programs, based on remaining availability.

What to know for filing the FAFSA

• Iowa State University's School Code is 001869
• Make or print copies of everything that you send out.
• Read the instructions carefully. The words "you" and "your" always refer to the student, whereas questions for parents will be specified.
• Report all sources of untaxed income. These include Social Security, Child Support and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), among others.
• Don't leave any fields blank; instead, answer zero or "N/A" if the question does not apply to you.
• Round to the nearest dollar, and do not use commas or decimal points.
• 1098-T is received from a higher education institution when payment is made for tuition, fees and related education expenses. If scholarships and grants are in excess of tuition, fees and related education expenses, this amount is reported on federal income tax.
• Foreign Income: Non-IRS tax returns are reported on the FAFSA with the value of the foreign income taxes in US dollars. Be sure to view the daily exchange rate. Any non-taxed foreign income will be reported as untaxed income in worksheet B.

File the FAFSA Electronically

Electonically - Visit the federal website at www.fafsa.ed.gov/.

If you do not receive the results of your application—a Student Aid Report (SAR)— within three weeks, please check online at www.fafsa.ed.gov/ or call 1-800-433-3243. If you provided your e-mail address in question 13, you will receive information about your application within a few days after we process it.

Foster Youth: Tips for completing the fAFSA

Click here for help with "questions on the FAFSA which may cause difficulty for wards of the court or foster youth".