Understanding FAFSA: Tackling it like a pro

Maybe you are a first generation college student, maybe you have never heard of FAFSA before or maybe you are just a little confused on how financial aid works. No matter what boat you are in, I think we can all agree that a bit of help can’t hurt.

First, I think it is important to explain what FAFSA is. Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is a fancy title for the application that determines if you qualify for financial aid from the government. Around 59% of UH students receive some kind of need-based grant, according to USA today, which means that most of your peers are in the same boat as you, so if you have any questions, odds are a friend can help you. However, I highly recommend that you visit the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid for any inquiries you may have.

Through my own personal experience, I have compiled some advice for students who must tackle the FAFSA application process:

Know your deadlines
FAFSA applications open every year October 1 and close January 15 for state grants and June 30 for federal grants the following year. The easiest way to file on time is to do it on October 1. When you file early, you won’t have to worry about missing deadlines and more importantly, the earlier you file, the more money you are likely to receive. Write it on your phone calendar and set a reminder for every year until you graduate, it will save you so much time and money.

Check AccessUH
Your student portal in Access UH will have a to-do list of items you need to complete. If you are selected for a verification process, like I am every year, you will have a list of items you need to upload in addition to your filed FAFSA application. These documents will go directly to the University, and the to-do list will most likely have a link to the form you need to fill out. The verification process sounds scary and a bit overwhelming, but as long as you submit all the forms they ask for, you will be fine.

Ask questions
The Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid is there to help you. If you have any questions over grants or scholarships you can either send them an email or visit them in person at the Welcome Center. Be patient and friendly, they have a lot of students, and even parents, with questions. They are overwhelmed too, so please be nice. Also, check their website first, you may be able to save yourself a trip to their office by looking online and searching for your questions. 

Make it easy for yourself
Create an account for the FAFSA website and it will save some of your basic information. This will make it easier and faster to file next year. Use the Data Retrieval Tool, DRT, on the website. If you are considered a dependent of your parents on their tax forms, FAFSA will ask for your parent’s or guardian’s IRS information. Their DRT will pull information directly from the IRS website and automatically upload it to your FAFSA application. Also, if you have any siblings in college
filling out a FAFSA application, you can transfer shared information from your application to theirs or vice versa. You can do this after one of you completes their application, an option to file for a sibling should appear.

Follow the money
Nobody will care more about your FAFSA money than you, or maybe your parents, but trust me, there are around 20 million students that apply for FAFSA every year and nobody will ask you if you have filed for it already. Stay on top of your application, check your AccessUH to-do list and make sure everything is running smoothly from beginning to end. Know the names of the grants given to you and make sure you get them every year, and if you don’t receive a certain grant one year, go to the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid and ask them why you didn’t. Sometimes funds run out or you “outgrow” a grant, meaning that that specific grant is only for first year students or something similar, but it is always good to double-check and ask them for advice on how to receive more money next year.