College Counseling Process

The FAFSA is a tool that links to federal tax returns to determine a family's projected monetary contributions to pay for college for their child.

To begin, both parents and students need to apply for and obtain an FSA ID - this will be your login identification for completing your FAFSA. You can obtain an FSA ID at: https://fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm. (Students are the applicants; parents are the parents when applying for this ID.)

Once you have your FSA ID, you can log in to https://fafsa.gov/  and complete your FAFSA. Don't be overwhelmed by this document; take your time. If you have questions along the way, there are many FAQ options and chat options available while completing it if you need clarification. (FAQ - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/about/announcements/fafsa-changes#faq)

This document is a step-by-step process of each question if you need clarification along the way - https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/sites/default/files/2017-18-completing-fafsa.pdf 

Make sure your student lists every single school they are applying to so that the FAFSA will also link to those schools. If they list more than 10 schools, the last school listed will bump another school off the list; they can only have 10 total at once.(This article is really helpful. - http://www.cnbc.com/2016/10/05/before-you-file-the-fafsa-check-for-these-errors.html)

Additionally, some schools like UNC require a student to complete a CSS Profile for nonfederal student financial aid eligibility. Here is a list of schools that require a CSS Profile: https://profileonline.collegeboard.org/prf/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet/PXRemotePartInstitutionServlet.srv If your college or university is on the list, please visit the following website to complete this supplemental tool: https://student.collegeboard.org/css-financial-aid-profile