FAFSA Do's and Don'ts

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid - the FAFSA - determines eligibility for federal student financial aid programs, including federal student loans and federal work-study. It’s also the basis for determining eligibility for New York State Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) grants and some other state and college-based scholarships and aid programs.

So be sure to complete your FAFSA, and keep in mind these “dos and don’ts:"

DO:

  • Get an FSA ID now at fsaid.ed.gov. You and a parent must each have a Federal Student Aid Personal Identification Number (FSA ID) to “sign” your FAFSA electronically.

  • Complete the FAFSA online at fafsa.ed.gov.

  • Much of the financial information required on the FAFSA comes from your federal income tax forms.

  • Many students and parents can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool in completing the FAFSA.

  • Keep your FSA ID and passwords in a safe place. Your FSA ID is as important as your bank password. Don’t share it with anyone.

  • File a FAFSA each year you attend college to request aid. The online FAFSA will remember you from previous applications, so you will need only to provide updated information.

  • Remember, when the FAFSA refers to “you,” and “your,” it means, you, the student, NOT your parents or family.

  • Use your legal name, as shown on your Social Security card.

  • Enter your Social Security Number (SSN) carefully. An incorrect SSN may delay your FAFSA and you may miss important college financial aid deadlines. To correct an error, you may have to submit copies of your birth certificate and Social Security card before your FAFSA is processed.

  • Read every question carefully and complete every field according to the instructions.

  • Answer “yes” to the questions about your interest in different types of federal aid, such as work-study and student loans. You won’t be obligated to accept offers you don’t want and answering “no” will not afford additional grant money.

  • Count yourself, the student, as one of the people in your family who will be college students during the award year.

  • Look for the TAP application link on the FAFSA confirmation page. If you are a New York State resident and include any college in NYS on your FAFSA, you'll see the link on the confirmation page.

  • Carefully review the Student Aid Report (SAR) emailed to you after the FAFSA has been processed. Verify that all information is correct. If needed, you can make corrections to your FAFSA at fafsa.ed.gov.

DON’T

  • Procrastinate – complete the FAFSA as soon as possible after October 1 for the next school year. Many colleges have early deadlines for consideration of scholarships, grants and other forms of financial aid.

  • Assume you don’t qualify for financial aid! Complete the FAFSA to be sure you get all of the financial aid for which you are eligible.

  • Decide your don't need to complete the FAFSA. Many scholarships and grants are based on merit and other factors, but still require a FAFSA for consideration.

  • Use decimal points when completing financial sections. Decimals are not recognized during processing, so $500.00 will be misread as $50,000.

  • Forget to sign the form using the correct federal FSA IDs for you and your parent.

  • Forget, the first word in FAFSA is “Free.” Beware of anyone charging a fee to file the FAFSA for you. There is no “secret” method of qualifying for more aid, nor do you have to pay to file the application.

The FAFSA is your key to federal student financial aid, so file as soon as possible and take advantage of the maximum federal funding for which you qualify.