What students and parents need to do now to be ready to apply for Federal Student Aid

December 21, 2023

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is one of our Scholarship’s five requirements, and we’re counting down the days until new form is available on Jan. 1, 2024.

We’ve compiled four recommendations for what students and parents should be doing now to ensure they can begin the application process when it’s available.

Those suggestions are:

1. Create a FSA ID account now: We strongly encourage students and parents to create a FSA ID account as soon as possible to ensure access to the FAFSA form on Jan. 1, 2024. The FSA ID is a username and password that will be used to compare the FAFSA. It usually takes one to three days for a FSA ID to be confirmed by the Social Security Administration.
2. All eligible students need FSA IDs. We do not recommend undocumented students create FSA IDs because they are not eligible for federal financial aid. Those students should contact the colleges to which they were accepted for more information.
3. Parents need FSA IDs, too. For most students, at least one biological or adoptive parent will need to complete a portion of the FAFSA. Undocumented parents will need to create FSA IDs but the process isn’t available yet.
4. Be ready with six pieces of information. The FSA ID requires a full legal name, date of birth, Social Security Number, personal email address, cell phone number and permanent address. Students and parents without Social Security Numbers will complete a knowledge-based verification process, which will be based largely on credit and financial history.

We’ve got a step-by-step guide on how to create the account once you log on to the FAFSA site.

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