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FAFSA - Steps 5, 6 and 7
The
remaining sections of the FAFSA, Steps 5, 6 and 7 are relatively easy to
complete, so we will not take any breaks during the remainder of the
instruction.
Let's get into Step 5, which contains only two questions, 85 and 86.
If you answered "Yes" to any of the dependency questions, questions 52-58,
you will need to respond to both of these questions.
The number of family members you report determines the allowance that will
be subtracted from your family's income to provide for basic living expenses
when the Department of Education's processor calculates your EFC. The number
of family members in college directly affects your family's ability to
contribute to your education costs.
Question 85 determines the Number in the student's, and spouse's, household.
The following persons are included in the household size of an independent
student:
You and your spouse;
your children, if you will provide more than half of their support between
July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2004;
And other people, if they live with you and will receive more than half of
their support from your household for the entire award year (July 1, 2003
through June 30, 2004)
Question 86 determines the number of college students in your household.
This question asks about the number of household members who, in 2003-04,
are or will be enrolled in a postsecondary school. Count yourself as a
college student. Do not include your parents. Include others only if they
will be attending at least half time in a program that leads to a degree or
certificate at a postsecondary school eligible to participate in any of the
federal student aid Programs.
Let's move onto to Step 6, Questions 87-99.
In this section of the application, you can list up to six schools that you
are interested in attending. You don't need to list any schools on a paper
FAFSA, but since the purpose is to send the information to the schools you
have chosen so they can begin the awarding process as early as possible, I
strongly encourage you to list the schools you are most interested in
attending and receiving financial assistance.
The Department of Education will send your information to all the schools
listed. You should list each school's Federal School Code.
The Department of Education assigns a number called a Federal School Code to
each school qualified to disburse financial aid. For a school to receive
your application data, you must list the school's Federal School Code or
full name and address. The FAFSA will be processed faster if you indicate
the Federal School Code. These codes are not in the FAFSA instructions; they
are provided in the "Federal School Code List" that the Department sends to
high schools, colleges, and public libraries each fall. The Department also
makes this list available at www.fafsa.ed.gov.
If you cannot get the Federal School Code, indicate clearly the complete
name, address, city, and state of each college you are interested in
attending. It is very important to indicate the correct city and state or
Federal School Code so that your college can be identified. If a college is
a branch campus, include the complete name of the branch.
By answering the questions in the school listing section and signing the
FAFSA, you give permission to the U.S. Department of Education to provide
your application information to the college(s) listed. Colleges will use
your FAFSA information to determine the amount of your financial aid
package. You should not indicate the name of a college if you do not want it
to receive your information. If you leave these questions blank, the
Department will not send your application information to any colleges.
For each school listed, fill in the oval corresponding to your housing plans
at that school - on campus, off campus, or with parents.
Question 99 is the newest addition to the FAFSA, E-mail address. If you
enter your e-mail address here the processor will be able to send you
information electronically, such as notification that your FAFSA was
received. The processor will also be able to send you e-mails with links to
Student Aid Report data on the Internet.
And now let's move into the final Section, Step 7
This part of the application asks for your signature, your parent's
signature if you are a dependent student, and the date you completed the
FAFSA.
Question 100 asks for the date this form was completed. Fill in the month
and day spaces using 2-digit numbers. Then fill in the appropriate oval for
the year. Note that all information you report on the FAFSA must be accurate
as of the date you complete the form.
Next is Student and parent signatures. Independent applicants, and a parent
of a dependent applicant, must sign the FAFSA. If the proper signatures are
not provided, FAFSA will send the applicant a Student Aid Report showing the
applicant was rejected for lack of signature.
You, and anyone else who signs the form, certify that all information on the
form is correct and that everyone is willing to provide documents to prove
that the information is correct. You also certify that you will use federal
and/or state student financial aid only to pay the cost of attending an
institution of higher education; that you are not in default on a federal
student loan or have made satisfactory arrangements to repay it; that you do
not owe money back on a federal student grant or have made satisfactory
arrangements to repay it; and that you will notify your school if you
default on a federal student loan. Additionally, you are giving your state
financial aid agency permission to verify any statement on the form and to
obtain income tax information for all persons required to report income on
the form. Finally, by signing the paper FAFSA, you are certifying that the
data you are providing the Secretary of Education is true and accurate as of
the date signed.
Do not sign, date, or mail the paper version of the FAFSA before January 1,
2004. If you sign and submit the FAFSA before January 1, 2004, FAFSA will
process it and put it in the system, but you will receive a rejected Student
Aid Report.
If your counselor or FAA signs the paper FAFSA in place of your parents, he
or she should provide his or her title when signing and briefly state the
reason why he or she is signing for your parents. By signing your
application, however, your counselor does not assume any responsibility or
liability in this process.
Question 102-103 - Preparer's name/Social Security Number/signature and
date. The law requires that if anyone other than you, your spouse, or your
parents prepares the application, then the preparer must write in his or her
name, the firm/company name (if applicable), the firm/company address, and
either the firm/company's Employer Identification Number as assigned by the
IRS or the preparer's SSN.
High school counselors, Financial Aid Advisors, and others who help students
with their paper applications by actually filling out line items on the form
or dictating responses to items on the form are considered preparers, even
if unpaid for their services.
This concludes the instructions for completing the paper FAFSA.
But, before you go, please keep these items in mind:
Read the form! - Many questions on the FAFSA are straightforward, like your
Social Security Number or your date of birth. But many require you to read
the instructions to make sure you answer the question correctly. Words like
"household," "investments," and even "parent" all have common meanings, but
are specifically defined for purposes of student financial aid. So be sure
to read the instructions.
You may have unique family situations that may cause you to have additional
questions. You should then contact a financial aid administrator at a school
you wish to attend for clarification.
Apply early! - Deadlines for aid from the state, your school, and from
private sources are usually much earlier than deadlines for federal aid. To
make sure that any financial aid package your school offers you will contain
aid from as many sources as possible, apply as soon as you can after January
1, 2004. It is important to apply early to make sure you leave enough time
for your school to receive your information and to make any necessary
corrections.
You don't need to file your tax return before you submit your FAFSA. -
Filling out your tax return first will make completing the FAFSA easier.
However, you do not need to submit your tax return to the IRS before you
submit your FAFSA. Once you file your tax return, you must correct any
income or tax information that may have changed on your FAFSA.
You can file your FAFSA electronically. - You can fill out and submit a
FAFSA over the internet. This is the fastest way to apply for financial aid.
Also, your information is edited before you submit it, so, if you made any
errors or left out any information, it can be called to your attention
before you submit your information. This reduces the chance that your data
will be rejected for some reason and makes it less likely that you will have
to correct your information later.
There may be additional forms - The FAFSA is the one application for federal
student aid. Many schools and states rely solely upon this information.
However, your school and the state may require you to fill out additional
forms. These additional forms may have deadlines that are earlier than the
federal student aid deadlines, so be sure to check with the financial aid
office at the school you plan to attend.
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