Everything you need to know to start the financial aid process!

If you are filing a FAFSA for the first time, it is helpful to know whether you are a dependent or independent student before starting.  Your dependency status will determine if you are required to submit parent information on the FAFSA. 

Determining Your Dependency Status

You are considered independent if you meet at least one of the following criteria:
 

You are at least 24 years of age.
 

You are admitted to or enrolled in a graduate or professional school (i.e. law or veterinary medicine.
 

You are married as of the date you complete the FAFSA.

You have children who receive more than half their support from you.
 

You have dependents (other than children or spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you.
 

You are an orphan or ward of the court.
 

You are a veteran of the United States Armed Forces (not National Guard or Reserve unless activated during a national crisis.

You are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training.

If you do not meet one of these specified criteria, you are considered dependent and must submit parent information on your FAFSA.

Determining whose information to use on the FAFSA

In some cases, it may be difficult to determine whose information should be included on the FAFSA.  For dependent students, please use the guidelines below to determine whose information to include on the parent section of the FAFSA:
 

If your parents are living and married to each other, answer the questions using their information.

If your parents are divorced or separated, choose the parent you lived with more during the past year. If that parent is married, answer the question about that parent and his or her spouse (your stepparent). If that parent is not married, answer the questions about that parent only.

If your parent is widowed or single, answer the questions about that parent.

 

For independent students who are married as of the date the FAFSA is filed, you should answer the questions on the FAFSA about you and your spouse even if you were not married in the year the questions are referencing.

Now you are ready to begin the financial aid process!

1.    Apply for a Personal Identification Number (PIN) with the Department of Education at www.pin.ed.gov.  If you are a dependent student, your parent will also need a PIN.  The PIN is used to electronically sign the FAFSA and re-access your FAFSA once it has been saved or submitted.  Make sure to keep the PIN as a part of your financial aid records.  If you already have a PIN, proceed to the next step.  If you have a PIN, but forgot it, visit www.pin.ed.gov to request a reminder.

2.    Gather the information you will need to provide on the FAFSA. Click here for a complete list of documents you will need. Keep in mind whose information you should gather based on the guidelines above.  If you, your spouse, or your parents, have not completed a tax return at the time you apply, you may estimate the information. 

3.    File a Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) at www.fafsa.ed.gov.  As the name indicates, the application is free, and you should never pay a fee to file the FAFSA.  The FAFSA will ask for the school codes of the institutions you would like to receive a copy of your FAFSA.   LSU’s school code is 002010.       

4.    The Central Processing System (CPS) receives your FAFSA, and sends an electronic copy to LSU.  After submitting the FAFSA online, you can expect to receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) by mail or email from the Central Processor.  Review the SAR to make sure all the information you submitted on the FAFSA is correct.  The SAR will also notify you of any errors or omissions found by the CPS.  LSU will also send an email to your PAWS account to notify you of receipt of your FAFSA, and any errors or omissions that you will need to correct before your FAFSA may be processed.  If you must make corrections, you may do so online.  Corrections will be processed again through the CPS, and sent to LSU.  Once a completed FAFSA with no errors or omissions detected by the CPS is received by LSU, your FAFSA is ready to be processed by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Aid.  Please be aware we do not begin processing FAFSA’s until March or April of each year, so you can expect an email from LSU around that time if you filed early.  If you file after LSU has begun processing, it takes approximately one week to receive a FAFSA submitted online from the CPS.  You should expect an email from LSU approximately one week after filing. 

5.    The next part of the process is completed by you and LSU’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Aid.  Our main form of communication with students is through the PAWS account.  It is very important to check your PAWS account regularly to ensure that you are aware of the necessary steps you must take to finish the financial aid process in a timely manner.  To check your status on PAWS, click Financial Services, Financial Aid, Federal Financial Aid, choose the correct year, Process Request.  Click here to learn about the next steps you will take.