Steps to Qualifying for Financial Aid

  1. Enroll half-time or more in a certificate or degree program at one of the more than 4,500 colleges and universities certified to distribute federal financial aid. A few aid programs are available for less than half-time study; check with your department or college.
  2. Complete the FAFSA. The first FAFSA you file is intimidating, especially if you rush to complete it right before the deadline. Completing the FAFSA in subsequent years is easier because you only need to update items that have changed. To make the process easier, get your personal identification number (PIN) a few weeks before the deadline. This PIN will be the same one you’ll use throughout your college career. Try to do the form in sections rather than tackling all of it at once. Most of the information is basic: name, address, driver’s license number, and things you will know or have in your personal files and records. For many undergraduates, the financial section will require your own and your parents’ information from tax materials. However, if you are at least twenty-four, are a veteran, or have dependents, you do not need to submit your parents’ tax information. If you are married, your spouse’s tax information will be needed.
  3. Complete the College Board PROFILE form if your school or award-granting organization requires it. Review your college’s admission information, or ask a financial aid adviser to determine whether this form is required.
  4. Identify any additional applications that are required. These are usually scholarship applications with personal statements or short essays. The organizations, including the colleges that are giving the money, will provide instructions about what is required. Most have Web sites with complete information.
  5. Follow instructions carefully, and submit each application on time. Financial aid is awarded from a fixed pool of funds. Once money is awarded, there is usually none left for those who file late.
  6. Complete the classes for which you were given financial aid with at least a minimum grade point average as defined by your academic department or college, or by the organization that provided you the scholarship.