Financial Aid Resources
Find ways to pay for college and manage costs to stay on your postsecondary path.
Get Started
Follow the steps below to secure financial aid and make informed choices of where to go to college and how to pay for it. High school students can also download our senior year checklist.
This checklist is available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Prepare
Make a College List (opens in a new tab)
Create a college list that factors in affordability.
Create an FSA ID (opens in a new tab)
The Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID is a username and password that you need to start the FAFSA. Guide is also available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Apply
Submit the FAFSA (opens in a new tab)
Fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for most types of financial aid. Also available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Fill out the Parent Section of the FAFSA (opens in a new tab)
After your child completes their section, they may invite you to contribute your information. Also available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Submit the CSS Profile (opens in a new tab)
Online application for institutional aid used by some colleges and scholarship programs. Also available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese, and Vietnamese.
Apply to Scholarships With Our Toolkit (opens in a new tab)
Follow Up
Review FAFSA Submission Summary (opens in a new tab)
The FSS summarizes the info you submitted on your FAFSA, includes your Student Aid Index, flags issues or errors to resolve.
Get your FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) (opens in a new tab)
Make Corrections to the FAFSA (opens in a new tab)
You can only make corrections to the FAFSA after it is processed. If you fill it out in January or February 2024, it will be processed in March.
Complete Verification (opens in a new tab)
If selected for verification, you're required to provide requested documents in order to receive financial aid.
Complete IDOC (opens in a new tab)
If you submitted a CSS Profile, you may be required to complete the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC).
Decide
Review Financial Aid Offers (opens in a new tab)
Understand your aid offers and compare the total costs of attending different colleges.
Appeal Your Financial Aid (opens in a new tab)
If your financial situation has changed, you can appeal so your financial aid is based on your current circumstances.
Enroll
Pay Tuition Deposit (opens in a new tab)
A non-refundable down payment due by May 1 to hold your spot at most 4-year colleges.
Cover the Tuition Bill (opens in a new tab)
Explore your options and make a plan to cover the college bill and other costs.
Attend
Estimate Indirect Expenses (opens in a new tab)
Know how much you may have to pay for expenses that aren't on your college bill, like course materials and transportation.
Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (opens in a new tab)
Know how to keep your financial aid throughout college.
Prepare to Transfer Colleges (opens in a new tab)
Follow these steps if you're planning to transfer.
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