Paying for College | FAFSA & Scholarships

Yes, college can be expensive but think of it as an investment in your future! The following section will outline the cost of college and the many options you have to pay for college!

NEW: The FAFSA opens in December for the Class of 2024

Please see information from the National College Attainment Network regarding the 2024-2045 FAFSA.

Complete FAFSA or TASFA, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, as soon as possible.

It takes 3+ months to receive your responses AFTER you hit submit. You don’t want this to be the thing you’re waiting on.
- Need-based aid breakdown by college

*The FAFSA is not just for those that qualify for FREE money; It's federal grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.

Step1: FSA ID

Before starting your FAFSA, you and your parent/guardian will need to create an F SA ID. This is your login information for your FAFSA application and allows you to sign the official documents electronically. Remember this login information because you will use it every year you apply for financial aid!

UPDATE: Starting with the 2024-25 FAFSA, students and parents must have an FSA ID set up prior to accessing the FAFSA form. Previously, they could access the form with their name and social security number and then would require an FSA ID or a signature page to complete the form. It is important to note that it may take 1 to 3 days for an FSA ID to go through the verification process, so practitioners should assist students and parents with FSA ID creation in advance to avoid further delays once FAFSA opens in December 2023.

Moreover, parents who are not U.S. citizens or residents will be required to create an FSA ID. The process for obtaining an FSA ID for individuals without a Social Security number will be released by August 2023 and automated to the greatest extent possible. To help with identity verification, FSA will utilize TransUnion services to ask knowledge-based questions.

Step 2: FAFSA

The Class of 2024 completes the 2024-2025 application.

New: The application opens in December.

To apply for federal student aid, such as federal grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans, you must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free, giving you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college or trade school. In addition, many states and colleges use your FAFSA information to determine your eligibility for state and school aid, and some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their aid.

FAFSA Simplification Act Changes in 2024-2025

What you need to Know : 2024 -2025 FAFSA Changes

8 Steps to FAFSA

7 Things You Need to Know About Financial Aid

Need Based Aid by School

FAFSA Myths

Items needed to complete the FAFSA:

Class of 2024 will use 2022 Taxes and W2

FAFSA 101

The 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is off to a rocky start. Early on, we have experienced limited availability of the form, waiting rooms, FSA ID account creation not working, and issues with the actual FAFSA form. We hope to have turned the corner on availability. The Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) released last week a set of known issues that users are experiencing when attempting to complete the form. The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) recommends that you thoroughly review this article to understand things that your students and their contributors may experience. For some issues, FSA has suggested some current workarounds but for others there is no solution until the system can be fixed.

Please review the document of a brief summary of the issues that have workarounds