Preparing for FAFSA

Seniors: It’s time to start preparing to file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA application goes live on October 1 for the 2020-2021 school year, which will be your Freshman year of college. You don’t have to know exactly where you’re going to college to file the FAFSA, as you can submit the application to up to 10 colleges/universities per submission. If for some reason you want to apply for Financial Aid at more than 10 schools, you will need to submit the FAFSA, wait 3-5 business days for it to process, and then log back in and do a correction to your FAFSA removing some or all of the 10 schools you initially submitted it to, adding the new school codes, and resubmit. Keep in mind you will also need to apply to each school if you want to see a Financial Aid Award Letter from those schools.

In preparation for filing the FAFSA, you and one of your parents will each want to create a username and a password, called an FSA ID. A common misconception is that an FSA ID is a number. This is not the case. The FSA ID is a username and a password. These FSA IDs serve as electronic signatures, allowing you and your parent to each sign the FAFSA electronically. I realize this username and password process sounds very simple and easy. But, you would be surprised at how many people come through our offices that struggle with the process of creating and/or remembering what their usernames and passwords are. I strongly encourage you to take your time and write everything down when you create them, and most importantly, get organized and keep that information in a safe place where you’ll remember where to find it in the future. You can find more helpful tips and information about FSA IDs by clicking here.

Lastly, download our checklist of what you’ll need to file your 2020-2021 FAFSA. And remember, you don’t have to go through this process alone! We would be happy to assist you through the process. We help thousands of Iowans file their FAFSAs each year. You can work with an experienced professional to trust that simple mistakes won’t happen, which could be very costly in determining what Financial Aid you will be eligible for. In fact, here’s an email I received just this week: “I can’t thank you enough for the time you spent with me last week completing my daughters FAFSA application! As I stated, I was in tears and hopeless with the many technical issues I experienced. I also had reached out to the FAFSA line 3 times and received poor service.”

Scheduling an appointment is easy! Give us a call at 877-272-4692, or schedule online at www.icansucceed.org/apt. We hope to see you soon!


Shea - ICAN Hiawatha Center