FAFSA
FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid
- This is a form that you fill out through 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 is a parent – if your legal guardian is someone other than a parent, see if you are considered an independent student.
- If your parents are divorced, whoever provides you more financial support OR whoever has a higher income/assets will be the sole contributor. If they are both about even, either parent can be your contributor.
- If your parents file taxes separately, BOTH parents will need to be contributors.
- If you aren’t sure who should be added to your FAFSA, use this tool: FAFSA Parent Tool
- If you don’t have a contributor or legal guardian, 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.
- 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).
- If the tax return year drastically misrepresents your current financial situation, contact the colleges of interest and they can make an appeal.
- 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.
- If you have a business with less than 100 employees, you do NOT need to report
- 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 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 should 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 the contributor used to create their account. You can also use the code generated at the end of the student portion of the FAFSA and enter here.
- 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
- 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.
- If you have two parents, both need to be contributors on your Profile.
Scholarships
Go to the Paying for College page for info on scholarships.
Need additional support?
Make an appointment with your College Access Advisor!
