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Office of Student Financial Aid

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Completing the FAFSA

It is important to file the FAFSA each year. The student will be qualified for institutional and federal aid programs after completing the FAFSA. Addititionally, some scholarships will ask for information from the student's FAFSA during the application process.

Please note:

• The FAFSA should be filed between January 1 and March 1 every year for the student to be eligible for priority aid with limited funding
• Students who file after March 1 will still be considered for aid based on remaining available funds

Before Starting

The following points are important to remember when filing the FAFSA:

• Read the instructions carefully. The words "you" and "your" always refer to the student, whereas questions for parents will be specified
• If the question does not apply to you, answer it zero or "N/A". Don't leave any fields blank
• Report all sources of untaxed income. These include Social Security, Child Support and Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), among others
• Always round to the nearest dollar, and do not use use commas or decimals points
• When asked to list school codes, Iowa State University's School Code is 001869
• Always print a copy of the final submission for your personal records
• 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
• For help with questions "on the FAFSA which may cause difficulty for wards of the court or foster youth", visit the NAFSAA information page
• Use the Currency Converter to report the value of foreign tax returns in US dollars. Any non-taxed foreign income should be reported as untaxed income in worksheet B

Filing the FAFSA

Note: "FAFSA on the Web Worksheet" and "Dependency Status Worksheet" are optional, but may be used as tools to prepare for filing the FAFSA.

1. Visit http://www.fafsa.gov/.
2. Click on "Determine Your Dependency Status" and complete the worksheet.
3. Click on "FAFSA on the Web Worksheet" and complete the worksheet.
4. Have the student and, if dependent, parent Department of Education PIN ready.
5. Click on "Fill Out Your FAFSA" and follow the instructions.
6. After submitting the FAFSA, it may be signed either electronically with a Department of Education PIN or by printing off and mailing a paper signature.
   Note: Signing electronically with a PIN will result in a significantly quicker processing time
7. View and print the Student Aid Report about 1 week after submission (2-3 weeks if a paper signature was used).
8. Make corrections to the FAFSA if needed.

If the SAR has not been received by the student within three weeks, the student should check the FAFSA website or call 1-800-433-3243. If the student provided an e-mail address in question 13 of the FAFSA, they will receive information about their application within a few days after the ISU Office of Student Financial Aid has processed it.

Ames, IA 50011-2028, (515) 294-2223
Published by: Office of Student Financial Aid, financialaid@iastate.edu.
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