FAFSA
-FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid):
- This is a form that you fill out with the federal government that takes your family’s financial information and determines what kind of financial aid you qualify for.
- You must fill out the FAFSA every year that you anticipate being in school the following year (e.g. a high school senior fills out the FAFSA for their freshman year of college).
- Even if you don’t think you’ll qualify for aid, still apply! Some scholarships require FAFSA completion (like the USHE Opportunity Scholarship).
-Items needed to complete the FAFSA:
- A Contributor
- This can be a parent or guardian.
- Don’t have a contributor? See if you qualify as an independent student.
- A Personal Email
- The student and contributor need unique personal emails that they can access. Do NOT use your Granite email.
- FSA ID
- Both the student and contributor will be prompted to create an FSA ID when creating a FAFSA account.
- Federal Tax Return
- The FAFSA uses tax information from two years prior to the academic year for which you are applying (e.g. the 2026–27 FAFSA uses 2024 tax information).
- Record of Your Assets
- The FAFSA requires reporting the net worth of cash, savings, checking, investments, and real estate (excluding the primary home) as of the date of filing.
- Key reportable assets include stocks, bonds, 529 plans, rental property, and business value.
- Do not include primary home equity, qualified retirement accounts (401k, IRA), or life insurance.
- Government Identification
- Students that do not have Social Security Numbers are unable to file FAFSA unless they meet eligible non-citizen requirements.
- Contributors who don’t have Social Security Numbers can still obtain an FSA ID and submit the FAFSA using these step-by-step instructions (PDF). A quick identity validation process will also be required after submission to finalize the application.
-For students unable to file the FAFSA:
- If you cannot file the FAFSA due to documentation status or immigration concerns, you can still go to college! Check out our DACA/Undocumented Resources (Google Document).
-How to start the FAFSA:
- The student will start the FAFSA form every time. After the student has completed their section, they will then invite their contributor. This is done by inputting the email that matches their contributor’s FSA ID.
- Once you start the form, you have 45 days to complete the form before the form deletes itself.
- Get started by checking out this step-by-step FAFSA guide (PDF).
- Access the FAFSA form through StudentAid.gov.
- Need it translated into another language? See multi-lingual resources (Google Spreadsheet).
CSS Profile
-CSS (College Scholarship Service) Profile:
- An online application used by colleges and scholarship programs to award non-federal institutional aid.
- The only Utah school that participates in this is Westminster University. Their CSS Code is 4948.
- Get started by checking out the CSS Profile Guide and Checklist.
- Access the CSS Profile through CollegeBoard.org.
- View 2026-2027 Participating Institutions and Programs.
Schedule an appointment with Drew if you need help or have any additional questions about FAFSA or the CSS Profile.
