FAFSA

The 2021 ACHS FAFSA Night is scheduled for Thursday, October 21^st,  3:30-7:00p.m. in the ACHS Computer Lab, Room 245. Southwestern College and Cowley College will have Financial Aid Representatives present to help you fill out the FAFSA application. Computers are provided.

WHAT IS FAFSA?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. This form is used to determine the amount of money a family is expected to contribute to the price of attending a postsecondary institution. The results of the FAFSA are used in determining grant and loan amounts.

Federal Student Loan:  A loan funded by the federal government to help pay for your education. A federal student loan is borrowed money you must repay with interest.

Grant:  Financial aid, often based on financial need, that does not need to be repaid (unless, for example, you withdraw from school and owe a refund).

WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO COMPLETE THE FAFSA APPLICATION?

• Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA!)
• Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student 
• Your driver’s license number, if you have one
• Your Alien Registration number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:
  • IRS 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ
  • Foreign tax return and/or
  • Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau
• Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents, if you are a dependent student
• Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate but not including the home in which you live; and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student
• Keep these records! You may need them again. Do not mail your records.

WILL PAST OFFENSES HINDER MY ELIGIBILITY FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID?

Yes. If you are convicted of a drug-related offense after you submit the FAFSA, you might lose eligibility for federal student aid.  Also, If you have been convicted of a forcible or nonforcible sexual offense, and you are subject to an involuntary civil commitment upon completion of a period of incarceration for that offense, you cannot receive a Federal Pell Grant.

 Go to https://fafsa.ed.gov/ to fill out the FAFSA application.