The first section of the FAFSA is for personal information about the student, including name, address, birth date, Social Security number, citizenship. He must provide educational history, including current grade level, and the desired college degree. Failing to fill out the first section completely or properly delays processing of the entire application and can result in missing the submission deadline for aid.
The second section of the FAFSA is critical: the information decides the student's dependency status and expected income contributions, affecting the method of calculating aid eligibility. Various questions determine dependency, including age, martial status and residence. An independent student's aid is based only on her income, while a dependent student's aid calculation includes her parent's income. The income section covers detailed financial information, including tax return data, employment wages and assets.
Section six of the online application allows the student to list a maximum of 10 schools for which she wants aid to attend. The paper form lists up to four schools. The information is necessary so Federal Student Aid can send the aid information to the schools. The official FAFSA website has school code numbers available to ensure the student enters the right number.
The student signs and dates the FAFSA in the last section of the application. Online applicants use a PIN assigned by the U.S. Department of Education. The official website of Federal Student Aid has an online pin request form. Federal Student Aid holds an application sent without a paper or electronic signature and will reject unless the student sends a signature in.