Resources | Federal Student Aid

View and download resources from the office of Federal Student Aid.

We provide resources on preparing for college or career school, applying for aid, consumer protection, and more.

Resources

The office of Federal Student Aid provides publications, fact sheets, online tools, and other resources to help you prepare and pay for college or career school.  Our resources are grouped by the following topics:

Information on College Preparation and the Federal Student Aid Programs
Free Application for Federal Student Aid  (FAFSA®) Information
Loan Information
Consumer Protection and Financial Literacy

Hard copies of many of the publications are available for order from the U.S. Department of Education’s Publication Center (www.edpubs.gov) or by calling 1-877-4-ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827). TTY/TDD callers can use 1-877-576-7734.

To view the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) files, you must have installed the latest version of the Adobe Reader (free). Installation instructions can be found on the Adobe site.


Information on College Preparation and the Federal Student Aid Programs

See tips on getting ready for college.  Learn about the federal student aid programs as well as other sources of financial aid to help you pay for college or career school. Also, learn about the process for applying for and receiving financial aid.

Resource

English

Spanish

Accessible Version

Booklets and Brochures

College Preparation Checklist

PDF

PDF

Braille

2017–18 Do You Need Money for College? The Guide to Federal Student Aid (formerly Funding Your Education: The Guide to Federal Student Aid)

PDF

Coming winter 2017

 

2016–17 Do You Need Money for College? The Guide to Federal Student Aid (formerly Funding Your Education: The Guide to Federal Student Aid)

PDF

PDF

Braille

My Future, My Way: First Steps Toward College—A Workbook for Middle and Junior High School Students

PDF

PDF

Braille

Federal Student Aid for Adult Students

PDF

PDF

Braille

Financial Aid for Graduate and Professional Degree Students

PDF

Available only in English

Braille

Comparing Colleges

PDF

PDF

 

Videos and Images

Financial Aid Process Video

Video

Adjust video settings to view Spanish captioning

 

Financial Aid Process Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Types of Federal Student Aid Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

Types of Federal Student Aid Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Responsible Borrowing Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

Budgeting Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

Myths About Financial Aid Video

Video

Adjust video settings to view Spanish captioning

 

Web Pages and Tools

Checklists for Academic and Financial Preparation

Web Page

Web Page

 

Career Search

Web Page

Web Page

 

College Search

Web Page

Web Page

 

College Scorecard

Web Page

Available only in English

 

Scholarship Search

Web Page

Web Page

 

Glossary

Web Page

Web Page

 

Fact Sheets

2017–18 Federal Student Aid at a Glance

PDF

PDF

 

2016–17 Federal Student Aid At A Glance (formerly "Do You Need Money For College") 

PDF

PDF

Braille

Federal Student Aid: Find the Information You Need

PDF

PDF

 

Federal Student Grant Programs

PDF

PDF

 

TEACH Grant Program

PDF

Coming winter 2017

 

Federal Student Loan Programs

PDF

PDF

 

Scholarships for Military Families

PDF

Coming winter 2017

 

Information for International Students

PDF

Available only in English

 

¡GRADÚATE! A Financial Aid Guide to Success

PDF

PDF

 

Financial Aid and Undocumented Students

PDF

PDF

 

Educational and Training Vouchers for Current and Former Foster Care Youth

PDF

PDF

 

Federal Student Aid and Homeless Youth

PDF

PDF

 

How Your Financial Aid Administrator Can Help You

PDF

PDF

 

Department of Health and Human Services fact sheet on health care coverage for young adults—“For Grads and Other Young Adults: New Benefits”

PDF

Available only in English

 

Internal Revenue Service fact sheet on education tax benefits—“Students and Parents: Why Form 1098-T Is Important to You”

 PDF

Available only in English

 

Federal Student Aid Eligibility for Students Confined in Adult Correctional or Juvenile Justice Facilities

PDF

PDF

 

FAFSA Facts for Students With Drug-related Convictions

PDF

Available only in English

 

Fact Sheets—Early Preparation

Saving Early = Saving Smart! Watch Your Money Grow With Your Child

PDF

 PDF

 

Fact Sheets—College and Career Preparation

Why Go to College?

PDF

PDF

 

Choose a Career School Carefully

PDF

PDF

 

Choosing a Career

PDF

PDF

 

Other

Bright Future Native American Poster

PDF

Available only in English

 

Federal Student Aid bookmark (one file: page 1 is English; page 2 is Spanish)

PDF

PDF

 Braille

Top
 


Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Information

Get detailed information and help on completing the FAFSA®

Resource

English

Spanish

Accessible Version

Booklets and Brochures

2017–18 Completing the FAFSA

PDF

PDF

 

2016–17 Completing the FAFSA

PDF

PDF

 

2017–18 EFC (Expected Family Contribution) Formula

PDF

Available only in English

 

2016–17 EFC (Expected Family Contribution) Formula

PDF

Available only in English

 

Forms and Worksheets

2017–18 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet

PDF

PDF

 

2016–17 FAFSA on the Web Worksheet

PDF

PDF

Braille

2017–18 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

PDF

PDF

 

2016–17 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

PDF

PDF

Braille

Videos and Images

Eligibility for Federal Student Aid Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

How to Create an FSA ID Video

Video

Available only in English

 

FAFSA Overview Video

Video

Adjust video settings to view Spanish captioning

 

 

How to Fill Out the FAFSA Video

Video

Adjust video settings to view Spanish captioning

 

FAFSA and FSA ID Tips for Parents

Video

Available only in English

 

The FAFSA Process Graphic

Image
PDF

Image
PDF

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Changes to the FAFSA Process for 2017–18 Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

FAFSA: Determining Dependency Status Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

FAFSA Dependency Status Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Who's My Parent When I Fill Out My FAFSA? Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Simple Steps to Transfer Tax Information Into Your FAFSA Graphic (Information about the IRS Data Retrieval Tool)

Image
PDF

Image
PDF

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

After the FAFSA: What Happens Next Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

Web Pages and Tools

Online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

Web Page

Web Page

 

Federal School Code Search

Web Page

Web Page

 

FAFSA Online Help

Web Page

Web Page

 

FAFSA4caster

Web Page

Web Page

 

Fact Sheets

What's an FSA ID and Why Do I Need One?

PDF

PDF

 

Am I Dependent or Independent?

PDF

PDF

 

Who Is My "Parent" When I Fill Out the FAFSA?

PDF

PDF

 

College Students and Parents: What You Need to Know About the 2017–18 FAFSA®

PDF

PDF

 

The 2017–18 FAFSA®: Get Your Dates Straight

PDF

Coming winter 2017

 

2017–18 FAFSA Updates and Resources Webinar

Webinar
Transcript

Available only in English

 

Myths About Financial Aid

PDF

PDF

 

Reporting Same-sex Marriage on the FAFSA  

PDF

PDF

 

Top
 


Loan Information

Learn about federal student loans—what they are, how to get them, and why to get them. Understand your options for repaying a federal student loan.

Resource

English

Spanish

Accessible Version

Booklets and Brochures

Federal Student Loans: Basics for Students

PDF

PDF

Braille

Federal Student Loans: Direct PLUS Loan Basics for Parents

PDF

PDF

Braille

Federal Student Loans: Be a Responsible Borrower

PDF

PDF

Braille

Federal Student Loans: Repaying Your Loans

PDF

PDF

Braille

For Members of the U.S. Armed Forces: What you need to know about your federal student loan benefits

PDF

Available only in English

 

Videos and Images

Getting a Federal Student Loan Graphic

Image

Image

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Comparing Federal and Private Student Loans Graphic

Image
PDF

Image
PDF

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Repayment: What to Expect Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

 

Repayment: How to Manage Your Student Loans Video

Video

Spanish-captioned video

 

Trouble Making Your Federal Student Loan Payments? Graphic

Image
PDF

Image
PDF

Text-only version (English)
Text-only version (Spanish)

Web Pages

Financial Awareness Counseling Tool

Web Page

Available only in English

 

Student Loan Debt Collection Assistant

Web Page

Available only in English

 
 

Repayment Estimator

Web Page

Web Page

 

Fact Sheets

Federal Student Loan Programs

PDF

PDF

 

Why Get a Federal Student Loan?

PDF

PDF

 

Income-Driven Repayment Plans for Federal Student Loans

PDF

PDF

 

Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

PDF

PDF

 

Direct PLUS Loans and Adverse Credit

PDF

PDF

 

Student Loans (Avoiding Deceptive Offers)

PDF

Web Page

 

Peace Corps and Repayment of Your Federal Student Loans

PDF

Available only in English

 

Top
 


Consumer Protection and Financial Literacy

Read important information about protecting yourself from scams and getting the most from your money.

Resource

English

Spanish

Accessible Version

Fact Sheets 

Choose a Career School Carefully

PDF

PDF

 

Don't Get Scammed on Your Way to College

PDF

PDF

 

Federal Student Aid and Identity Theft

PDF

PDF

 

Student Loans (Avoiding Deceptive Offers)

PDF

Web Page

 

Money Management Checklist for College Students

PDF

PDF

 

Top
 


Braille Publications

Braille and audio publications, in addition to our other publications, are available for order from the U.S. Department of Education’s Publication Center (www.edpubs.gov) or by calling 1-877-4-ED-PUBS (1-877-433-7827). TTY/TDD callers can use 1-877-576-7734.