FAFSA Information

Important Information about Your FAFSA

On this page

• Basic FAFSA Info
• How to Fill Out the FAFSA
• Dependency Status for FAFSA Purposes
• How Aid is Calculated
• Federal Tax Information Consent and Approval
• Using Transcripts for Verification
• Loan Repayment Grace Period
• FAFSA Parent Wizard
• FAFSA Videos: Who Is My Contributor 

Submit your FAFSA online at studentaid.gov

Basic FAFSA Info

You must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for federal student aid. It is FREE and easy to submit.

Watch the "FAFSA Overview" video from the Department of Education.

How to Fill out the FAFSA

It is easiest to complete the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov.

Learn more about how to fill out the FAFSA.

Watch the "How to Fill Out the FAFSA" video from the Department of Education.

Dependency Status for FAFSA Purposes

Your dependency status determines whose information you must report on the FAFSA. If you're a dependent student, you will report your and your parents' information. If you're an independent student, you will report your own information (and, if you're married, your spouse's.)

Learn more about dependency status.

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How Aid is Calculated

Your eligibility depends on your Student Aid Index, year in school, Registration status, and cost of attendance.

Learn more about how aid is calculated.

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Federal Tax Information Consent and Approval

What is FTI?

Why should I use FTI?

Consent and approval are needed to retrieve and disclose federal tax information from each participant on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form. With consent and approval, we can obtain your federal tax information automatically from the IRS to help complete the FAFSA form. If consent and approval are not provided by the student and all contributors on the FAFSA form, the student will not be eligible for federal student aid, including grants and loans. All participants must provide consent and approval even if they didn’t file a U.S. federal tax return or any tax return at all.

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Using Tax Transripts For Verification Process

If you are selected for verification in the process of applying for financial aid and you did not use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing your FAFSA, you will need to provide the FHSU Financial Assistance Office with a federal tax transcript or return to the FAFSA website and use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to update your tax information. For more information, visit our verification page.

Loan Repayment Grace Period

Most federal student loans have a six month grace period before you must start making payments, however, not all loans do. For loans, interest will accrue during the grace period, which will be added to your outstanding balance. To learn more about loan repayment grace periods, go to student aid.gov. 

FAFSA Parent Wizard

Your student may need to ask their parent(s) to provide information on their FAFSA form based on their dependency status. If your student is a dependent, they may need to report their parents’ information.

The FAFSA Parent Wizard is a tool that simplifies FAFSA form completion by helping families determine which parent(s) should contribute to a student's FAFSA form. This clarity can help families navigate this crucial step with confidence and ensure accurate information is submitted for the student's FAFSA form.

Check out the FAFSA Parent Wizard

FAFSA Videos: Who Is My Contributor?

A “contributor” is a person who needs to provide information on a student's FAFSA form, such as the student, their spouse, a biological or adoptive parent, or a stepparent.

To help students and their families identify who will provide information on the FAFSA form, we’ve created the following videos about contributors:

• Who Is a Contributor on the FAFSA Form?
• Why Do My Contributors and I Need Our Own StudentAid.gov Accounts for the FAFSA Form?

Visit StudentAid.gov for more information about the FAFSA process.