Federal Student Aid Forms

 I. Applying for Financial Aid TOP

A. FAFSA Application

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used by virtually all two and four-year colleges, universities and career schools for the awarding of federal student aid and most state and college aid.

Students are encouraged to apply as soon as possible on or after
January 1. There are three ways that you can complete the FAFSA:

Note: Eligible students who applied for financial aid in the prior award year, will have the option to use their preexisting data when filing the FAFSA online.

Tell your friends! The official FAFSA is at www.FAFSA.ed.gov – not at a .com Web site. If you go to a .com site, you will probably be asked to pay to submit the FAFSA. Remember, the first F in "FAFSA" stands for "free" – so use the official government site to submit your application.

Deadlines

For the 2008-2009 school year, we must have your application no later than June 30, 2009. Your college must have your correct, complete information by your last day of enrollment in the 2008-2009 school year.

For the 2009-2010 school year, we must have your application no later than June 30, 2010. Your college must have your correct, complete information by your last day of enrollment in the 2009-2010 school year.

Questions

If you're not sure how to answer a question on the FAFSA form and/or you're wondering, "Why do they ask that?," or saying, "My family situation is different, now what do I do?", see Completing the FAFSA. It explores the purpose of FAFSA questions and discusses how information should be reported in some unusual cases.

To assist in completing the income section of the 2008-2009 FAFSA, see "Quick reference for 2008-2009 FAFSA Line Item and Puerto Rico Tax Return." You'll find the specific tax line references for both the U.S. Tax Return and the Puerto Rico Return.

It is recommended that you use the FAFSA on the Web because:

Check out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) FAFSA on the Web - the way to apply online for all types of student financial aid.

FAFSA PDF Form

You have the option of applying for federal student aid by completing a PDF form of the FAFSA. The PDF FAFSA must be mailed for processing.

FAFSA Paper Form

If you don't have Internet access, the paper FAFSA is available by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243), 1-319-337-5665 or 1-800-730-8913 (TTY users).

To use the paper method, you will need to do the following:

Mail the FAFSA in the pre-addressed envelope that's in your FAFSA packet.

Your paper FAFSA will be processed in two to three weeks. If you don't hear anything within three weeks of the date it was mailed, you can check the status by going to www.fafsa.ed.gov. You can also check by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center at the address or toll free number listed below.

          Federal Student Aid Information Center
          PO Box 84
          Washington, D.C. 20044-0084

Our toll free number is 1-800-4-FED-Aid (1-800-433-3243). TTY users (for the hearing-impaired) can call 1-800-730-8913.

Assistance Completing the FAFSA form

In addition to the toll free telephone number listed above, free assistance is provided in the form of worksheets and sample copies to help complete either the online or the paper FAFSA form and help understanding the questions.

Online

A worksheet has been designed to help students and their parents complete the online FAFSA. You can download and print a copy of the 2008-09 English (color or black and white) or Spanish (color or black and white) FAFSA on the Web Worksheet if you plan to use FAFSA on the Web to apply for financial aid for the 2008-09 award year.

You can download and print a copy of the 2009-10 English (color or black and white) or Spanish (color or black and white) FAFSA on the Web Worksheet if you plan to use FAFSA on the Web to apply for financial aid for the 2009-10 award year.

Please do not mail the worksheet for processing.

Sample Paper FAFSA

If you would like to see a sample FAFSA form and/or print out a copy for use in the preparation of your paper application, please click on the link provided at the end of this paragraph. Please note that the FAFSA form is provided in this format for informational purposes only. Applications received using this form will not be accepted. A Sample paper FAFSA form.

Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet for Question 23

Students should complete this worksheet if the answer to Question 23 on the FAFSA is yes. You can download and print a copy of the 2009-2010 Student Aid Eligibility Worksheet for Question 23 in English or Spanish.

Questions

If you're not sure how to answer a question on the FAFSA form and/or you're wondering, "Why do they ask that?," or saying, "My family situation is different, now what do I do?", see Completing the FAFSA. It explores the purpose of FAFSA questions and discusses how information should be reported in some unusual cases.

B. Student Loan Applications.

To apply for a Federal Student Loan, a student needs to complete and file a FAFSA. Based on the results of the FAFSA application the college will send an award notification to the student. An application for a student loan or the process to obtain one will be part of the award notification package issued by the college. Contact the financial aid office at the school you are planning to attend for additional details regarding the student loan application process.

II. Managing your Student Loans TOP

Once you receive the first disbursement of a student loan you are responsible for managing that loan until it is paid in full. The following paragraphs provide sources for forms and points of contact to help you keep your loan current and manage your loan(s).

A. Forms for student loan deferments, forbearance, cancellation and consolidation

For FFEL Stafford or PLUS loan borrowers, you will need to contact the lender who made the loans for deferment, forbearance, cancellation and consolidation forms. If you're unsure about your loan history, please go to www.nslds.ed.gov to determine the type(s) or amount(s) of student loans you borrowed. In order to access your account you will need to use your personal identification number (PIN). If you have forgotten your PIN number or never had one, please click here.

For Perkins Loan borrowers, please contact the school that made your loan.

For Direct Loan borrowers click on the name of the form listed below.

If the student loan form you are seeking is not listed above, please click here for a complete list of the Direct Loan forms for deferments, forbearance, cancellation and consolidation.

B. Repaying Student Loans

Repayment is an important part of managing your student loan(s). Your Federal Student Loans: Learn the Basics and Manage Your Debt explains available repayment options, includes examples of monthly payments for different loan amounts, and covers other topics you need to consider when managing your loans. If you have specific questions about repaying these types of loans, please contact your loan provider. (In the case of Perkins Loans, this will be the school that made you the loan). Don't know who your loan provider is? Go to www.nslds.ed.gov.

C. Defaulted Student Loans

If you have a student loan that is in default, you can find out what options are available by clicking on this link to our Guide for Defaulted Borrowers. This resource provides comprehensive student loan default information developed by the Department's FSA Collections section. Clicking on various tabs within that publication will give you information about how to remove your loan from default, what to do if you have a dispute about your loan's default status, and how to get answers to questions you might have.