The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the official Pell Grant application that must be completed each year in order to become eligible for the Pell Grant. The FAFSA can be filled out either online, or via a written form, and it is recommended that both students and parents choose to complete the online version, as this can make the entire process easier and more efficient.
If for whatever reason there is a need to complete the written form over the online version a physical hard-copy can be obtained by calling the phone number 1-800-4-FED-AID, or by grabbing a copy from the appropriate financial aid office. The online FAFSA can be accessed via fafsa.ed.gov, as this is the official website that is made available by the Department of Education. Before you can begin filling out the online FAFSA you must first get your PIN, and this can be done at pin.ed.gov.
Gathering the Required Documentation
Filling out the FAFSA is a relatively simple and straightforward activity as long as you can gather the appropriate documentation that is needed beforehand. The following contains the items that are needed when completing the FAFSA:
- Driver’s license or identification card
- Social security number that is valid
- Permanent resident card, or alien registration card if not a United States citizen
- Tax returns and W-2 forms
- If currently married—spouse’s tax documents
- If still considered a dependent—parents’ tax documents
- Current income statements
- Bank statements
- Investment documentation (stocks, etc.)
- Mortgage documentations
- Business information
- Farm information
FAFSA Deadlines and the SAR
The earliest you can submit a FAFSA is on January 1, the latest you can submit one is June 30. It is recommended that you submit one earlier rather than later in order to maximize your ability to get the most federal aid possible, as most aid is given to students who don’t wait until the last minute. Completing the application shouldn’t take more than about an hour if you have taken the time to accumulate the above documentation, and once you have successfully submitted the FAFSA a Student Aid Report, or SAR, will be generated.
Within this SAR will be a reporting of all the information you provided during the completion of the FAFSA, your EFC, and your eligibility status for various kinds of federal student aid, including the Pell Grant. Go through the SAR to make sure that all of the information is in-fact accurate, and to see if you have gained a positive Pell Grant eligibility status for that particular school year. The SAR should be sent via email in about two weeks after successful submission of the online form, and in about 4-6 weeks via conventional mail if the written version was completed.
The Final Pell Grant Amount
The final Pell Grant amount you are able to secure will be calculated by your school’s financial aid department after they have received your FAFSA. If the SAR stated that you were eligible to receive a Pell Grant then you should be able to get at least some Pell Grant aid, and the specific amount you are able to receive will be contingent on a number of factors, including EFC, cost of attendance, and enrollment status.
Your college’s financial aid department will utilize a standardized formula that will take into consideration these factors along with other information that can be found on your FAFSA. EFC will play the most significant role, with values close-to, or at zero almost always getting the maximum Pell Grant amount. Higher CoA values will result in higher amounts, and your enrollment status will have an effect by fractionally prorating your amount in regard to the number of credit hours your are taking for that particular school year.
