THE WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY OF THE FAFSA WHO FILES?
Every student should file the FAFSA! Filing the FAFSA maximizes a student’s eligibility to fund their education through grants and/or loans.
WHAT IS THE FAFSA?
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the required form you need to fill out to be considered for any aid offered by the federal government, state, or university.
WHERE DO I FILE?
Online at studentaid.gov. The FAFSA is available in 11 different languages including English and Spanish, and is free of charge.
WHEN DO I FILE?
Starting December 31 for the upcoming academic year. Indiana residents must submit by April 15 to be considered for state aid.
WHY SHOULD I FILE THE FAFSA?
To maximize your ability to fund your education. The FAFSA 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 student and all required contributors before you file the FAFSA. Contributors are individuals, such as a parent, stepparent, or student’s spouse, who may be required to provide information on an applicant’s FAFSA depending on the student’s response to dependency or marital status questions. In addition to serving as an electronic signature on the FAFSA and other federal documents, the FSA ID is used to authorize the transfer of tax information from the IRS to the FAFSA.
• Gather Your Documents: - Social security number or permanent resident card for both parents and student, if you have them - Drivers 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. Continued on reverse ➜
VALPO’S FAFSA SCHOOL CODE:
001842
HOW TO FILE THE FAFSA • Securely log into the studentaid.gov website. From the “Apply for Aid” drop down, select “Complete the FAFSA Form.”
• 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.
• 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.
• When you finish filling out the FAFSA, use your FSA ID to sign the form. All contributors will need to also sign using their FSA ID.
• The student and all contributors must provide consent and approval to transfer their tax information through the IRS Direct Data Exchange on FAFSA in order to be eligible for federal student aid.
• Note: Filing the FAFSA 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.
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, you will receive your FAFSA submission summary by email or mail from the U.S. Department of Education. This is a summary of information you provided on the FAFSA. Your FAFSA 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 in a process called verification. Additional documents may be requested by Valpo’s Office of Financial Aid.
• If your family’s financial situation has changed significantly from what is reflected on the FAFSA, please review our special circumstances form found online at valpo.edu/finaid under “Forms” or by scanning the QR code to the right. • If at any point you have questions about filing the FAFSA 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