OF THE FAFSA FORM
What is the FAFSA?
The the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form is the required form you need to fill out to be considered for any aid offered by the federal government, state, or university.
Who files?
Every student should file the FAFSA form! Filing the FAFSA form maximizes a student’s eligibility to fund their education through grants and/or loans.
Where do I file?
Online at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA form is available in 11 different languages, including English and Spanish, and is free of charge.
When do I file?
Starting in December for the upcoming academic year. Indiana residents must submit by April 15 to be considered for state aid.
Why should I file the FAFSA form?
To maximize your ability to fund your education. The FAFSA form is your application for federal and state grants, loans, and work-study funds, as well as potential gift aid through Valparaiso University.
Plan and Prepare
Create a federal student aid (FSA) ID username and password for the student and all required contributors before you file the FAFSA form. Contributors are individuals, such as a parent, stepparent, or student’s spouse, who may be required to provide information on an applicant’s FAFSA form depending on the student’s response to dependency or marital status questions. In addition to serving as an electronic signature on the FAFSA form and other federal documents, the FSA ID is used to authorize the transfer of tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA form.
Gather Your Documents:
- Social security number or permanent resident card for both parents and student, if you have them
- Driver’s license number, if you have one
- W-2s/tax returns for the year stated on the FAFSA form
- Records of your and your contributors’ assets and untaxed income
- List of schools you are interested in attending — including Valpo (our school code is 001842)
Set aside approximately 30 minutes to file your FAFSA.
How to file the FAFSA form
Securely log in to the studentaid.gov website. From the “Apply for Aid” drop down, select “Complete the FAFSA Form.”
While using the studentaid.gov website, if you get hung up on a question, a “help and hints” box is on the right-hand side of the application to assist you with each question.
The student and all contributors must provide consent and approval to transfer their tax information through the IRS Direct Data Exchange on the FAFSA form in order to be eligible for federal student aid.
What is next?
The information you submitted will be processed by the U.S. Department of Education and provided to Valpo.
Within a few days of filing the FAFSA form, you will receive your submission summary by email or mail from the U.S. Department of Education. This is a summary of information you provided on the FAFSA form. Your submission summary will also be available to view on your FSA account on studentaid.gov.
Once Valpo begins awarding financial aid, you will receive a financial aid offer and informational documents to understand your financial aid offer from Valparaiso University.
Some applicants are selected to verify the information submitted on the FAFSA form in a process called verification. Additional documents may be requested by Valpo’s Office of Financial Aid.
List all the schools you would like to receive your FAFSA information — Valpo’s code is 001842. You can list up to 20 schools initially.
When you finish filling out the FAFSA form, use your FSA ID to sign the form. All contributors will need to also sign using their FSA ID.
Note: Filing the FAFSA form is free and you should never pay someone to complete it. Reach out to Valpo’s Office of Financial Aid should you need additional assistance.
If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly from what is reflected on the FAFSA form, please review our special circumstances form found online at valpo.edu/ studentfinancial-services/financial-aid-forms under “Forms” or by scanning the QR code to the right.
If at any point you have questions about filing the FAFSA form or financial aid at Valpo, please reach out to us at: - Office of Undergraduate Admission undergrad.admission@valpo.edu | 219.464.5011 - Office of Financial Aid finaid@valpo.edu | 219.464.5015
