1. Presented by Financial Aid Services at the University of St. Francis
FAFSA Filing
Presented by Financial Aid Services at the University of St. Francis

2. Paying for College
Preparing for college can be an overwhelming event, but keep in mind you are investing in your future.
There are many forms of financial aid available to help you pay for your education.

3. What is Financial Aid?
Financial aid is both free assistance, such as grants, as well as educational loans.
Financial aid can be used to pay educational expenses, such as;
Tuition and fees
Books
Room and board
Transportation

4. What is a FAFSA?
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid
By filing a FAFSA, a student expresses his/her wish to be considered for any federal or state grants as well as federal student loans. Some institutions, such as St. Francis, also use the information on the FAFSA to award institutional aid, such as grants and/or scholarships.
FAFSA is always FREE never pay to file a FAFSA Application

5. First Steps: the FSA Student ID
Students and parents must create an FSA ID
The FSA ID will be used to log into the FAFSA as well as electronically sign the application at the end. Both students and parents should create their own FSA ID and Password.

6. FSA Student ID

7. Where to File the FAFSA The website to file your FAFSA is…
You will have the opportunity to add up to ten schools to receive your FAFSA information. You can do this by adding a school code (for example, University of St. Francis’s school code is ) or by using the “drop down” box to search for a school by name.

8. School Code Selection

9. What do you need to file a FAFSA?
Student and parent(s) social security numbers
2015 tax information for both student and parent(s)
Asset information (bank statements, business value, investment value) student and parent(s)
FSA student ID for both student and parent

10. What do you need to file a FAFSA?
What if you have not filed your 2015 tax returns?
If you have not filed your federal 2015 taxes yet, you will need to select the “will file” status and manually add the income information requested. Most individuals will have filed 2015 taxes however at this time.

11. FAFSA Data Retrieval
If you have filed your 2015 federal taxes, we recommend that you use the Data Retrieval Tool to upload your income tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA
You will be required to answer a few questions to determine if you can utilize the Data Retrieval Tool. If so…
You will be redirected to an IRS Site

12. FAFSA Data Retrieval
Enter in address EXACTLY how it is on your tax returns and hit submit
You will then be re-directed to a final page that will ask you to “transfer the data into the FAFSA”
Once it is successfully transferred DO NOT update any tax information on the FAFSA

13. FAFSA Completion
Make sure that student/parent sign the FAFSA (this is done with the FSA ID) in order to ensure that the FAFSA information is sent to the schools listed.
It’s beneficial to file your FAFSA as early as possible. Some aid, state or institutional, may have limited funds and are awarded based on the date the FAFSA was filed.

14. FAFSA On-line Signature Page (Student)
The student is NOT the preparer
Student information will manually populate
Sign with FSA ID
Click sign

15. FAFSA On-line Signature Page (Parent)
Select which parent will sign
Identifiers will populate
Parent will sign with FSA ID
Click SIGN
Then SUBMIT MY FAFSA NOW

16. What to expect next?
Once the FAFSA has been completed and submitted it will be sent electronically to your school(s) of choice.
If you have specific questions about your completed FAFSA or financial aid award letter, please contact the Financial Aid office at the school you will be attending to set up an appointment.
If something has changed (employment, income, marital status) since you filed your FAFSA, please contact the FAS office at your prospective school.

17. 2017-18 FAFSA Workshops at USF
If you have further questions or need assistance in completing the FAFSA Application, please feel free to stop by one of our FAFSA Workshops at the University of St. Francis in St. Alberts Hall, rooms A102 & A112 on one of the following dates…
Monday, October 3 from 3PM-6PM
Wednesday, October 12 from 3PM-6PM
Thursday, October 27 from 3PM-6PM
Please call or for questions or building location.
Representatives from USF Financial Aid Services and our Admissions team will be available for FAFSA completion assistance.

18. FAFSA Deadline for Illinois Residents
The priority deadline, the date that we prefer Illinois residents to have filed the FAFSA by, is November 1st.
USF Financial Aid office can be contacted at , toll free at or