filing-the-fafsa-2015-2016-edition

Filing the FAFSA 14
FAFSA on the Web (FOTW) consists of the following seven sections:
• Student Demographics asks for information about the student. The words “I,” “you” and “your”
refer to the student applicant.
• School Selection allows the student to have FAFSA data sent to up to ten colleges and universities.
• Dependency Status determines whether the student’s parents must provide demographic and
financial data on the FAFSA.
• Parent Demographics collects data about parent household and other parent information if the
student is determined to be a dependent student.
• Financial Information collects data about student (and parent(s), if applicable) 2014 taxed and
untaxed income and assets.
• Sign and Submit asks students (and parents, if applicable) if they want the information on the
FOTW submitted electronically using their PINs. In addition, it asks those submitting the FOTW
about the accuracy of the data. In submitting the FOTW, the student and parent(s) are agreeing that
any financial aid funds received will be used for educational purposes only.
• Confirmation allows the student to print a Confirmation Page which confirms the submission of
the FOTW to the U.S. Department of Education. It also provides other useful information such as
the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), estimated Federal Pell Grant and Stafford Loan eligibility,
as well as a listing of the schools to which the FOTW information will be sent. For each school
listed on the FAFSA, the student will also receive important consumer information including, but
not limited to, graduation rates, retention rates, loan default rates and transfer rates.
▶ Free Help Completing the FAFSA
For questions about federal student aid and help completing the FAFSA, call the Federal Student Aid
Information Center at 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). This is a toll-free hotline sponsored by the U.S.
Department of Education. People living overseas or in other areas without access to toll-free numbers can
call 1-319-337-5665. Hearing impaired individuals can call 1-800-730-8913.
Millions of people call 1-800-4-FED-AID each year. The most common questions asked are about getting
help with completing the FAFSA, fixing PIN issues and checking the status of a student’s FAFSA.
College Goal Sunday is another source of free help completing the FAFSA. College financial aid
administrators volunteer to help families with the FAFSA on evenings and weekends in January, February
and March each year. College Goal Sunday is sponsored by USA Funds and the Lumina Foundation.
More information is available at www.collegegoalsundayusa.org.