FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. In the state of Texas, completing a FAFSA (or equivalent) is required for graduation. It determines a student’s eligibility for need-based federal financial aid for college, which may include grants, scholarships, work-study, and loans.  Filling out the FAFSA is now easier than ever (8 steps) and it takes less than a half hour to entirely fill out.

FAFSA also qualifies students of all income levels for lots of other financial aid that is awarded no matter how much, or little, the family makes. 

• To qualify for other kinds of scholarships and grants. Some financial aid programs require a FAFSA even though they award aid without regard to family income. Some colleges also use FAFSA information as a deciding factor for students who are on the borderline for merit scholarships. Some colleges, state agencies, and scholarship foundations require the FAFSA to award scholarships and grants to middle- and upper-middle-class students attending expensive schools. The most generous private colleges, for example, award need-based aid to some students from families earning more than $200,000 a year.
• To get cheap, forgivable federal loans. The FAFSA automatically qualifies the student for low-interest and forgivable federal student loans–the most attractive kind of student loans available. It also is the first step to qualify a parent for a federal parent PLUS loan, which can be used to help pay college costs.
• To gain an admissions edge. In some cases, filing a FAFSA can actually help a student gain admission to a college. Admissions officers generally know that students hoping for aid who don’t submit FAFSAs to the college are less likely to enroll. So some schools may not want to waste an admissions letter on a student they think is unlikely to attend.

FAFSA is the largest provider of grants, loans, and work-study funds.  Parents may qualify for some of the lowest interest school loans available by starting with FAFSA.  Federal Work-Study funds also require a FAFSA application.  Finally, the Midland College Legacy Scholarship requires completion of the FAFSA.

Please note that ANY SENIOR may attend any of the FAFSA help sessions listed below. You do not have to attend a campus to receive help!

• Students and at least one parent need to create an FSA ID . (instructional video)
• Social Security Number
• Parent's driver's license number
• Alien registration number, if applicable
• 2 years of tax records (students if filed, and parents)
• Records of untaxed income
  • child support, interest income, veterans benefits, etc.
• Records of assets
  • bank account balances, stocks and bonds, real estate other than home
• List of colleges you are considering applying to