The FAFSA Everyone who wants to receive financial aid for college must fill out the FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It is your key to receiving grants, Work-Study, loans, and even some scholarships. The U.S. Department of Education uses the FAFSA to determine how much you and your family will be expected to contribute toward your education. Pennsylvania uses it to consider you for state grants. Colleges use it to put together your financial aid package. The FAFSA can seem daunting. Use the information and tips on these two pages to help you navigate the FAFSA. The 2027-2028 FAFSA •Submit the FAFSA as soon as possible. Do not wait. •The 2027-2028 FAFSA will become available in October 2026. •Students and families will provide tax information from two years prior (i.e., tax filings for 2025 will be used when filing the 2027-2028 FAFSA). Free Help with Your FAFSA There are a number of ways to get help filing your FAFSA: •Call 1-800-433-3243 or TTY 1-800-730-8913 to ask a question. •Big Future answers frequently asked questions about the FAFSA at bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for- college/get-help-paying-for-college/fafsa/faq. •Visit www.studentaid.gov/help-center for frequently asked questions and a virtual assistant. •Learn about free FAFSA filing “Help Events” in Pennsylvania at pheaa.org/college-planning/fafsa/ help-events. •Use the FAFSA Parent Wizard Tool at https://studentaid.gov/fafsa-apply/parents. •Get FAFSA support in multiple languages at https://studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/fafsa/ filling-out/other-languages. •Avoid any FAFSA assistance that is not free. It is likely a scam. 46 Accuracy Is Critical As you apply for financial aid, there will be many forms to complete which require full disclosure of your family’s financial information. Families all across the country will be answering the same questions. Make sure that all information is accurate and complete. Withholding data or providing inaccurate information will jeopardize your ability to receive financial aid. Dependency Status Many students have questions about how their family circumstances affect whether they apply as a dependent student or independent student when filling out forms for financial aid. For a helpful flowchart, visit www.studentaid.gov/apply-for-aid/ fafsa/filling-out/dependency. Resources for Foster Youth There are special funding opportunities for foster youth and former foster youth, including: • The Chafee Education and Training Grant Program offers up to $5,000 for attending eligible colleges. https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other- educational-aid/chafee-program • PA Fostering Independence Tuition Waiver (FosterEd) Program is a law that requires all Pennsylvania-based colleges to waive any remaining tuition balance after all grants and scholarships have been applied. https://www.pheaa.org/funding-opportunities/other- educational-aid/foster-education • Fostering College Readiness provides personalized college counseling, one-on-one financial aid help, skill-building workshops, access to the Lenfest Immensitas Scholarship for college room and board, and college transition support. To learn more, visit philaedfund.org/programs/college-career-resources/ fostering-college-readiness/ Pathways to Prosperity
View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.