Complete the FAFSA on the website (fafsa.ed.gov). The online application takes a few days to process by the federal government while the paper application takes several weeks. If you do not have access to the Internet, you can obtain a FAFSA application from any college or university financial aid office. All students applying for financial aid must file their own individual FAFSA, whether they are married or not.
Provide your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth and contact information. You must also provide the names, dates of birth and ages of each of your dependents -- a dependent is your child or anyone living in your home for which you provide more than 50 percent of his of her care.
Enter your financial information; for this you need a copy of your most recent federal income tax return so you can take information from it to report on your FAFSA. Your adjusted gross income and tax liability are just a few of the income requirements needed on the FAFSA.
Indicate how many of the people in your household are in college; this includes you and any of your dependents.
Sign and submit your FAFSA. If you file the paper application, you can mail it to the address listed on the form. After your application is processed, you will receive notification by email of the amount of federal student aid you are entitled to. This information will automatically be sent to your college or university's student aid office, which will disperse any aid to you.