Apply For Financial Aid

// How To

Applying for financial aid can be a daunting task. Luckily, the FAFSA is your ticket to free money to help pay for college. But what if you have questions about how it works? Here’s everything you need to know about applying for financial aid: How to sign up and complete the application, what documents you’ll need, and more.

Sign up for FAFSA Online

Sign up for FAFSA online and select your state. Create an account with the official FAFSA website, which is available at fafsa.gov/login.

Complete the online application by answering questions about yourself and your family, including income and assets; expenses; household size (including dependents); the number of people in college (if applicable) as well as their grade level; immigration status (if applicable); citizenship status (if applicable).

You'll also need to provide information about each school you plan on attending during the upcoming academic year or summer term, along with their codes--you can find these by searching "school code" on Google. Everything must be accurate when completing this form because many schools will use these results in their admissions decisions!

Submit your application early so there won't be any delays later when it comes time for financial aid disbursement from the schools themselves.

Complete CSS Profile

The CSS Profile is a form you can fill out online or at your school’s financial aid office. It asks for information about your family’s income, assets and expenses, which are used to calculate how much money you may qualify for in aid packages. The results will be sent directly to the schools of your choice so they know what kind of aid package they should offer you if they decide to admit you as an undergraduate student. You’ll also access this information through CUNYfirst (the university’s student information system).

Gather your tax documents and W-2 forms.

To apply for financial aid, you must submit copies of all tax documents showing the total amount of income earned by you and your spouse (if applicable) during the previous calendar year.

Your federal income tax return transcript or a copy of your filed return. You can get this from the IRS website or by calling 800-829-1040.
A copy of state income tax return transcripts if required by state law; include any schedules showing adjusted gross income and taxable interest reported on page 1 as well as all figures used in calculating adjusted gross income shown on line 38a or b on page 2

Complete the online application.

The online application is easy to complete, and you can do it from any computer or device with internet access. It’s available in English and various other languages (including Spanish, Chinese and Korean). You’ll need to provide personal information such as your name, address and phone number; financial information such as income levels for you and your family members; academic information such as GPA scores; and documents that verify identity (such as a driver’s license or passport). You may also be asked for proof that you are eligible for certain types of aid (e.g., FAFSA verification)

Outside Scholarship and External Payment Form

You can apply for outside scholarships and external payments through the FAFSA. When you fill out the FAFSA, you will be asked if you want to apply for financial aid from outside sources. If so, some of your information will be shared with those organizations so they can send awards directly to you.

You can also use an IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) to transfer tax information from previous years' tax returns into your application. This can help speed up the process and make it easier for someone else in your family who does not have access.

Check your financial aid status on Track Your Application Status.

Once you’ve finished filling out the application and submitted it, you can check your status online. Go to Track Your Application Status and enter your personal information to do this. We’ll let you know if any issues prevent us from processing your financial aid application through this tool. If everything looks good, congratulations! You’re now on track to receive financial aid at UC Berkeley!

If any changes need to be made to your application (such as adding a scholarship), log in using the username/password combination provided when submitting the FAFSA form or use our Forgot Username or Password tool if needed–and then update those sections accordingly before re-submitting them all together again via FAFSA on time next year!

Make changes to your application if necessary

Make changes to your application: If you need to make any changes to your FAFSA, it’s best to do so as soon as possible. You can do this online at www.fafsa.gov and click “Make Corrections.” You will then be able to enter the necessary corrections, including any information left out or entered incorrectly. If you would prefer not to go through this process yourself, there is also an option where you can have someone else make these changes for you (such as a parent).
Submit corrections: Once all necessary modifications have been made, it’s time to submit them! This can be done online or by phone; however, if emailing is more convenient for you, feel free! Remember that once submitted, these new numbers will replace anything previously submitted, so all previous data will no longer be valid for reference purposes afterwards. Remember those old forms lying around somewhere?

You can use the FAFSA to apply for financial aid from all schools that accept it.

If you’re a high school student, you can use the FAFSA to apply for federal student aid at any college or university that accepts it. If you’re an adult returning to school and want to enrol in an online program, you should know that most schools offer their own application options, and some may even require one!

Financial Aid Applications Due:

Regular Decision: February 15

Transfer: March 1

Combined Plan: March 1