Avoid the Most Common Mistakes
Be on the lookout for these troublesome FAFSA oversights.
- Not Completing the FAFSA Form At All
Contrary to popular belief, there is no income “cut-off” when it comes to federal student aid. Also, the FAFSA form is not just the application for the Federal Pell Grant. It’s also the application for Federal Work-Study funds, federal student loans, and even scholarships and grants offered by your state, school, or private organization.It doesn’t take too much time to complete, and there is help text provided for every question. Be sure to sign and submit! - Not Submitting the FAFSA Form by the Deadline
While the FAFSA is not “due” until June 30—the summer right before a student plans to attend college or career school—a lot of state aid is decisions are made in March. Most institutions award based on need and the availability of funds, so students should submit their FAFSA as soon as possible! - Leaving Too Many Blank Fields
Sometimes, the prompts on the FAFSA will not apply to a student. Students should not just leave the section blank. Put something there like “0” or “N/A” because too many blank spaces could cause the FAFSA to be rejected. - Inputting Incorrect Information
Too often students mistype or miswrite an answer. Social security numbers (SSN), parent marital status, and nicknames are three of the most frequent pitfalls.
– A student’s social security number, and that of their parent, is extremely important. It is how the government (federal and state) is able to verify that a student and their parent are who they say they are. Being off by just one number will cause problems.
– If a student’s custodial parent has remarried, the stepparent’s information must also be listed on the FAFSA. If a student has two parents in a legally recognized same-sex marriage, both parents must be listed. Students need to list the parent who provided more financial support if parents are divorced.
– There is nothing wrong with nicknames, but when completing the FAFSA a student must use their legal name exactly as it appears on government-issued forms like a birth certificate or social security card. - Listing Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) As Equal to Total Income From Working
AGI and total income from working are not necessarily the same. In most cases, the AGI is larger than the total income from working.
- Listing Only One College
Unless students are only applying to one college or already know where they’re going to school, students should include more than one. It doesn’t hurt a student’s application to add more schools. In fact, students don’t even have to remove schools if they decide not to apply later. When students don’t end up applying or getting accepted to a school, the school just disregards their FAFSA form.
– Colleges can’t see the other schools added on a student’s FAFSA. –
– Students can add up to 20 colleges or institutions on their FAFSA. – - Not Filling Out the FAFSA on the Correct Site
Make sure that studentaid.gov is being used. If a student is ever asked to pay to submit a FAFSA they are on the wrong site! - Listing Parental Marital Status Incorrectly
Students will need to list the parent who provided more financial support. - Going Too Fast
Review the form before submitting it; do not rush through it. Some questions ask about the current year, some ask about the tax year. Be careful!