{"id":119,"date":"2017-04-23T08:07:33","date_gmt":"2017-04-23T08:07:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.scholarshipowl.com\/?p=119"},"modified":"2021-03-24T15:52:21","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T15:52:21","slug":"apply-federal-student-aid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-224 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl.jpg\" alt=\"pen and glasses on federal student aid application\" width=\"307\" height=\"204\" srcset=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl.jpg 1760w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-80x53.jpg 80w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-320x213.jpg 320w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-369x245.jpg 369w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-512x340.jpg 512w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-678x450.jpg 678w, https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl-753x500.jpg 753w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 307px) 100vw, 307px\" \/>The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for all students interested in financial aid for college. The types of aid available through the application include the Pell Grant state grant, Perkins loan, Stafford loan, and the federal work-study program.<\/p>\n<p>Financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Often, states have their own priority deadline. However, if you miss the state&#8217;s deadline, don&#8217;t worry &#8211; the federal deadline isn&#8217;t until a later date so you still have time to submit your application. This post will teach you how to apply for federal student aid so that you can maximize your scholarship potential.<\/p>\n<h2>FAFSA Application<\/h2>\n<p>There are three ways to submit the FAFSA:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Go to<a href=\"http:\/\/www.fafsa.ed.gov\"> www.fafsa.ed.gov<\/a> and submit your application online.<\/li>\n<li>Download the FAFSA as a PDF document and snail-mail the form.<\/li>\n<li>Contact 1 (800) 4-FED-AID and request a traditional paper document, then submit the form by mail.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before filling out a FAFSA, you will need to have a few documents on hand:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Your social security card (if you don&#8217;t have your card, make sure you&#8217;ve memorized the number).<\/li>\n<li>Driver&#8217;s license or state-issued identification card.<\/li>\n<li>Your W2 form and your most current income tax return.<\/li>\n<li>Any bank statements and\/or investment records.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The FAFSA is pretty straightforward but students still have some questions.<\/p>\n<h2>FAQ<\/h2>\n<h3>What is considered an asset?<\/h3>\n<p>The FAFSA will ask you to list all assets, equity on stock bonds, college saving accounts (529 plan), businesses, farms, and a second home. All are considered assets. What&#8217;s not considered an asset is your primary home and retirement accounts (401K).<\/p>\n<h3>If I qualify for federal work-study, are my wages taxable?<\/h3>\n<p>Typically, yes. Work-study earnings are taxable for federal and state taxes. However, if you\u00a0will be working part-time and enrolled in school full-time, you will be exempt from the The Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) tax. FICA funds allocated to Social Security and to Medicare.<\/p>\n<h3>I haven&#8217;t filed my taxes yet! Should I wait to file my FAFSA?<\/h3>\n<p>Ideally, you should not wait to file your FAFSA because early birds will be more likely to win the limited financial aid. The application includes an option stating that you have not yet filed your taxes, but intend to file them. This allows you to still submit your application prior to the priority deadline and receive the maximum awards available to you. Once you eventually filed your taxes, you can go back into your FAFSA application and make the necessary adjustments.<\/p>\n<h3>Can I file my FAFSA as an independent?<\/h3>\n<p>In order to claim yourself as an independent and avoid listing your parents assets on the form, you have to meet certain qualifications.\u00a0You may file the FAFSA as an independent if you are:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>24-years-old or over.<\/li>\n<li>A graduate student or professional student.<\/li>\n<li>Are married or have legal dependents.<\/li>\n<li>An orphan or a ward of the court until you were 18-years-old.<\/li>\n<li>An emancipated minor, or an unaccompanied youth at risk for homelessness on or after the 1st of July of the current year.<\/li>\n<li>If you have unusual circumstances esteemed by a financial aid administrator.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you don&#8217;t meet any of these qualifications,you still need to provide your parent&#8217;s financial information for the FAFSA, even if you don&#8217;t live with them or have filed your own taxes.<\/p>\n<p><em>Not sure where to start with <a href=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/find-scholarships\/\">finding\u00a0scholarships<\/a>? We have tips on where to look!<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is available for all students interested in financial aid for college. The types of aid available through the application include the Pell Grant state grant, Perkins loan, Stafford loan, and the federal work-study program. Financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. Often, states have their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":224,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false},"categories":[19],"tags":[38,39,44],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.5.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ScholarshipOwl\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1760\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1169\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"David\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidtab\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"David\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"David\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee5a2d82f51365483e1e7ca69b217115\"},\"headline\":\"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid\",\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\"},\"wordCount\":568,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"FAFSA\",\"Federal Student Aid\",\"Financial Aid\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Applying For Scholarships\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\",\"name\":\"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Applying For Scholarships\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/category\/apply-for-scholarships\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"ScholarshipOwl\",\"description\":\"The Fastest Path To Scholarships\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"ScholarshipOwl\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/\",\"sameAs\":[],\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/scholarshipowl-logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/scholarshipowl-logo.svg\",\"width\":160,\"height\":20,\"caption\":\"ScholarshipOwl\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee5a2d82f51365483e1e7ca69b217115\",\"name\":\"David\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfcd94064920070dff3aae8a3a8f52c8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfcd94064920070dff3aae8a3a8f52c8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"David\"},\"description\":\"David Tabachnikov is the CEO of ScholarshipOwl. Formerly at Waze and Google, David is an experienced CTO\/R&amp;D manager with over 10 years of experience of leading tech teams. David fervently believes that students should have greater access to education, and is passionate about using technology to help them achieve that goal.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nethunter\/?originalSubdomain=il\",\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidtab\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/author\/davidt\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl","description":"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl","og_description":"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!","og_url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/","og_site_name":"ScholarshipOwl","article_published_time":"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1760,"height":1169,"url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/financial-aid-application-scholarshipowl.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"David","twitter_card":"summary","twitter_creator":"@https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidtab","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"David","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/"},"author":{"name":"David","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee5a2d82f51365483e1e7ca69b217115"},"headline":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid","datePublished":"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/"},"wordCount":568,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["FAFSA","Federal Student Aid","Financial Aid"],"articleSection":["Applying For Scholarships"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/","url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/","name":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid | ScholarshipOwl","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2017-04-23T08:07:33+00:00","dateModified":"2021-03-24T15:52:21+00:00","description":"Answers to common questions on how to apply for federal student aid. Learn how to make the process as quick and easy as possible!","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/apply-for-scholarships\/apply-federal-student-aid\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Applying For Scholarships","item":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/category\/apply-for-scholarships\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"How to Apply for Federal Student Aid"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/","name":"ScholarshipOwl","description":"The Fastest Path To Scholarships","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"ScholarshipOwl","url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/","sameAs":[],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/scholarshipowl-logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/scholarshipowl-logo.svg","width":160,"height":20,"caption":"ScholarshipOwl"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/ee5a2d82f51365483e1e7ca69b217115","name":"David","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfcd94064920070dff3aae8a3a8f52c8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dfcd94064920070dff3aae8a3a8f52c8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"David"},"description":"David Tabachnikov is the CEO of ScholarshipOwl. Formerly at Waze and Google, David is an experienced CTO\/R&amp;D manager with over 10 years of experience of leading tech teams. David fervently believes that students should have greater access to education, and is passionate about using technology to help them achieve that goal.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/nethunter\/?originalSubdomain=il","https:\/\/twitter.com\/https:\/\/twitter.com\/davidtab"],"url":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/author\/davidt\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1362,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119\/revisions\/1362"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/224"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scholarshipowl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}