FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA, pronounced ) is a form completed by current and prospective college students (undergraduate and graduate) in the United States to determine their eligibility for student financial aid.

The FAFSA is different from CSS Profile (short for "College Scholarship Service Profile"), which is also required by some colleges (primarily private ones). The CSS is a fee-based product of the College Board (a private non-profit organization) and is used by the colleges to distribute their own institutional funds, rather than federal or state funding.

Eligibility

In order to receive federal student financial aid, students must meet the following criteria:

have maintained a Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP);

be a U.S. citizen, a U.S. national, or an eligible non-citizen;

have a valid Social Security number;

have a high school diploma or GED;

have signed the certification statement stating that: 1) they are not in default on a federal student loan and do not owe money on a federal student grant and 2) federal student aid will only be used for educational purposes;

have not been found guilty of the sale or possession of illegal drugs while federal aid was being received. (This restriction was removed with the 2024 FAFSA.)

Male students between the ages of 18 and 25 were generally required be registered with the Selective Service System (for Conscription in the United States), but the FAFSA Simplification Act removed this requirement starting with the 2021–2022 school year. The FAFSA Simplification Act was a part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.

Students who are military veterans and active duty service members may apply for financial aid by filing a FAFSA even if they also apply for education and housing benefits offered by the Post-9/11 G.I. Bill and its accompanying Yellow Ribbon program. The amount of military aid a student receives for a college education does not defer eligibility or reduce the amount of student aid that student could receive from the four federal grant programs – Pell, SMART, FSEOG, and TEACH – and many of the state student aid programs.

Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) of 2010 changed the criteria for suspension of eligibility for drug-related offenses. Previously, students could lose eligibility for either the possession or sale of a controlled substance during the period of enrollment.