FAFSA & Financial Aid

To apply for federal and state financial aid, you'll need to complete the 
Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the FAFSA. It's available on the 
Web (see link below) and on paper, in both English and Spanish. Many 
colleges also use the FAFSA to award their private dollars. The FAFSA asks 
for information about your finances and has a section where you list the 
colleges you're considering. 

Often independent colleges require additional forms, such as the College 
Board's CSS/PROFILE, or have their own supplemental forms. Be sure to check 
directly with each college's financial aid office. 

You're encouraged to file the FAFSA as soon as possible starting January 1 
of your senior year in high school because most funds are limited. You may 
need to file a PROFILE or other applications sooner if your college has 
earlier deadlines for its programs.

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID - Complete and file the 
FAFSA on-line following the easy step-by-step instructions.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

FAFSA PIN - Both the student and one parent/guardian will need to 
sign the FAFSA. Clink on this link and follow the easy steps to 
apply for a PIN which allows you to sign electronically.

If you are planning on attending a private university or college after high school graduation, 

check to see if the school requires the CSS Profile. This is a financial aid form similar to the FAFSA.

You can learn more about the CSS Profile at www.css-profile.com. Your schools website will have information 

regarding the CSS and if it is required, or you can check out http://www.collegeboard.com . This website has a list of 

private schools and universities around the nation that require the CSS Profile.

 http://www.pin.ed.gov 

HELP COMPLETING THE FAFSA - Get online help in completing the 
Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
 http://www.studentaid.ed.gov/completefafsa 

FINAID! THE SMART STUDENT GUIDE TO FINANCIAL AID - Learn more 
about financial aid for college; includes calculators to estimate 
financial aid eligibility.
 http://www.finaid.org 

EDWISE - An on-line financial planning guide.
 http://www.edwise.org 

EDFUND - This is a comprehensive, government-sponsored site that 
has information on financial aid planning, student loans, college 
planning, career exploration and more.
 http://www.edfund.org 

FEDERAL FINANCIAL AID - Stop here for details on the major 
federal aid programs.
 http://www.studentaid.ed.gov 

FAFSA4CASTER - The FAFSA4CASTER is a financial aid estimator that you can use before officially

 applying for financial aid. FAFSA4CASTER will provide you with an estimate of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC),

 which is an index that colleges use to determine what types of student aid you may receive. 

Your EFC will help determine what types of federal grants, loans, and work- study you may

 qualify for and will provide you an estimated award amount for each. To find the FAFSA4CASTER,

 click on the link below and then click on 

"Apply for Federal Student Aid." www.fafsa4caster.ed.gov 

Arizona Grants Website - This site gives details on grants 
available to Arizona students, including the Early Graduation 
Scholarship Grant (EGSG), the Postsecondary Education Grant 
(PEG), the Arizona Private Postsecondary Education Student 
Assistance Program (PFAP), the Special Leveraging Educational
Assistance Partnership (SLEAP), and the Arizona College Access 
Aid Program (ACAAP). Online applications are available on this 
site. If you have questions, phone the Arizona Commission for 
Postsecondary Education at 602.258.2435 or email them at 
ACPE@azhighered.gov.
 http://www.azgrants.gov/azgrants 

Fastweb's College Gold

www.collegegold.com 

Other Resources