Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov. A new FAFSA must be completed each academic year and is available January 1st each year.

Helpful Tips to Complete the FAFSA

1. Gather Documents Needed Before You Apply

• Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA!)
• Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student.
• Your driver’s license number if you have one
• Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
  • IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
  • Foreign tax return and/or
  • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federal States of Micronesia, or Palau
• Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
• Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

2. Get a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID

You will need to create a FSA ID to electronically sign your FAFSA.  If you are a dependent student, your parent will also need to create a FSA ID.

3. Determine your Dependency Status

It is extremely important to understand the questions on the FAFSA especially with questions regarding whether you are dependent or independent student.  For more information click Determine Your Dependency Status or review the Dependency Status video to the right.

4. Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool

If you or your parent has completed your taxes for the appropriate FAFSA year, you may be able to upload the required income information directly from your or your parents IRS tax return to your FAFSA.  This step is highly encouraged because it can assist you in processing your FAFSA faster.

5. REMEMBER! After you complete the FAFSA, you're not done yet!

After the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships receives your FAFSA, you will be sent an email to your university email account on myLeo.  You will then be required to log on to your myLeo account to complete any other requirements before you are awarded financial aid.  Complete any outstanding requirements as soon as possible otherwise your financial aid will be delayed and you will not be awarded in a timely manner.