Obtain a copy of the FAFSA form from your financial institution or the FAFSA website. You can apply online or with a written application.
Enter your name, address, Social Security number, date of birth, driver license number -- if you are a licensed driver -- and email address. Check the box that describes your citizenship; resident aliens must provide an alien number. Check the box that describes your marital status, and then fill out the month and year of your marriage, divorce, separation or when you became a widow. Indicate whether you are male or female.
Answer the following questions by checking the correct boxes. You will answer whether you have been convicted of a crime, your parent's highest level of education, the name of your high school, whether you will obtain your bachelor's degree before the end of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid, your grade level, and the degree or certificate on which you are working.
Provide your income tax information. Tell whether you've already filed a return, the type of return you filed and the information from your income tax return, such as your adjusted gross income and your federal tax liability. Provide the total amount of cash you have in your savings and checking accounts, the worth of your assets and/or businesses and the amounts you received on your income tax return for certain deductions and credits.
Answer the questions that determine whether you are a dependent of your parents and would need to provide their income tax information. Answer questions such as your marital status, dependents of your own and whether you are currently serving in the armed forces. If your answers determine you are a dependent of your parents, then answer the questions regarding your parents' tax information in the following section.
Provide information as to how many people in your household are college students and whether you receive federal assistance. Provide the name of the college you are attending.
Sign your FAFSA form. Submit your electronic form online or mail your FAFSA to:
Federal Student Aid Programs
P.O. Box 7002
Mt. Vernon, IL 62864-0072