FAFSA #WhyWait?


The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is used to determine the amount of financial aid you can receive to attend college. For students completing the FAFSA is the first step to receiving grant money to help pay for college, which you do not need to pay back. Completing the FAFSA will also provide you with access to student loans to help finance your college education.

Fill Out Your FAFSA Today!


Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa to get started on your FAFSA.

What You Will Need to Complete the FAFSA:

  • An FSA ID to sign in and sign the FAFSA electronically. Don’t know your FSA ID? Reapply for an FSA ID.
  • Your Social Security number
  • Your federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned. (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)
  • Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
  • Records of untaxed income (such as child support received, payments to tax-deferred pension plans, veteran's benefits, etc.)
  • Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)

Note: If you are filing as a dependent student, then you will need most of this information for your parent(s) to complete the FAFSA.

After Completing Your FAFSA


After you complete your FAFSA:

  1. Review your Student Aid Report (SAR) and your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) amount
  2. Make corrections to your FAFSA if needed
  3. Apply for Scholarships - Check out LeadMN Scholarships and browse thousands of scholarships by state.
  4. Watch for your financial aid offers from your college
  5. If you do not receive enough financial aid or your financial situation changes after submitting the FAFSA , appeal your financial aid award using Swift Student (See Below)

Appeal Your Financial Aid Award Amount


If your FAFSA does not represent financial difficulties you may be facing, if your financial situation changes, or even if you just need more financial aid to help cover supplies for school, consider submitting a financial aid appeal to your college. Swift Student provides students with free financial aid appeal letter templates so you can submit an appeal based on your circumstances.

Use Swift Student and view free templates for financial aid appeal letters.