It’s time to break down the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and show you what the form and its 107 questions is asking for, and give you a bit of advice along the way.
The current version of the FAFSA covers July 1, 2010–June 30, 2011, so seniors in high school and those already in college will complete the form this year.
The following information covers Step One (questions 1–32). This section is the easiest to complete as it's primarily demographic information about the student. All questions that say “you” or “your” refer to the student. Students should leave blank any questions that do not apply to them (the online form gives you the option to say “not applicable”).
Questions
1. Last name
2. First name
3. Middle Initial
4.–7. Permanent mailing address
8. Social Security number
9. Date of birth
10. Permanent telephone number
11-12. Driver's license number and state
if applicable.
13. Email address
If you provide an email address you will be notified when the form is processed. Note: The
email address you provide will be shared with your state and the colleges you list on the FAFSA. Provide an email address that you check often so
you can access your Student Aid Report (SAR) when it’s completed (3–5 days).
14. Are you a U.S. citizen?
If yes you can skip to question 16. If no and you are an eligible non-citizen, complete
question 15, which asks for your alien registration number.
15. Alien registration number
16. What is your marital status?
Options include Single, Married, Remarried, Separated, Divorced, or Widowed.
If you are separated but not yet divorced, you will be considered married on the
dependency verification questions that appear later.
17. Month and year you were married, separated, divorced, or widowed
18. State of legal residence
19. Did you become a legal resident of this state before January 1, 2005?
States have varying criteria for determining if you are a resident for purposes of
state financial aid (and in-state tuition). If you established a true, fixed, and permanent home in any
state more than four years ago, you meet its residency criteria, according to the U.S.
Department of Education.
20. If you answered NO to question 19, give the date you became a resident
21. Gender
If female skip to questions 23
22. If you are male, age 18–25, and not registered with Selective Service, you can select to be registered through the FAFSA
23. Have you been convicted for possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense
that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid?
If you answer yes (and are completing the online FAFSA) you will automatically be
presented with an online Student Eligibility Worksheet to complete. Once you complete
the worksheet, you will receive your current eligibility status immediately.
24. Highest school your father completed
25. Highest school your mother completed
26. When you begin college what will be your high school completion status?
Choices include high school diploma, GED, Home schooled, None of above.
27. Will you have your first bachelor’s degree before July 1, 2010?
28. When you begin the 2010–2011 school year, what will be your grade level
29. When you begin the 2010–2011 school year, what degree or certificate will you be working on?
30. When you begin the 2010–2011 school year, what do you expect your enrollment
status to be?
Full-time enrollment status generally is 12 credit hours, 3/4-time is generally 9 hours, and half-time is generally at least 6 hours.
31. In addition to grants, are you interested in being considered for Work-Study or
student loans?
Answers can be Work-study, Student Loans, Both or Neither.
I suggest saying yes even if you may not be interested in these options. You can always
say no after you receive your award letter.
32. Are you planning to complete course work necessary to become an elementary or
secondary school teacher, either now or in the future?
The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant program provides grants to students enrolled in participating colleges who intend to
teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from
low-income families. Answering yes to this question will get you more information on
the TEACH Grant. See information at www.teachgrant.ed.gov.
We got through the first step of the FAFSA! It wasn’t that bad, was it?
Next we will start Step Two. This section is financial-data heavy, but we will walk through each question so you understand what is needed. See you soon!


