WISD College and Career Center
Financial Aid Edition
Step 1: Learn about financial aid and find school specific deadlines
- Each University/College has their own deadlines for financial aid and scholarships. Educate yourself on these dates for your schools of choice.
- While you are finding the deadlines for your schools, also look at their scholarship application information. Many scholarships through Universities are due before January 1st of your Senior year.
- The Texas priority deadline for the FAFSA this year is January 15, 2019. (NEW)
- Below are some videos with more information about the Financial Aid Process and the different Types of Federal Student Aid
Step 2: Determine if you are eligible for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or Texas Application for State Federal Aid (TASFA)
Most students qualify to fill out the FAFSA
Information about the TASFA: http://www.collegeforalltexans.com/index.cfm?objectid=A3119543-CBF8-C202-F1B0EEFD5F4B9805
- TASFA eligibility requires a different process
- For more information about the TASFA please see the website above or come by the College and Career Center
Step 3: Apply for your FSA ID
Step 4: Gather required Information
- Determine if you are a dependent or independent student (most high school students are dependents) https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/dependency
- Gather the documentation you need before you fill out the FAFSA. https://fafsa.ed.gov/help/before003.htm
- Determine which parent or parents you will report on your FAFSA. https://studentaid.ed.gov/sa/fafsa/filling-out/parent-info
Step 5: Fill out the FAFSA/TASFA
If you are filling out the FAFSA https://fafsa.ed.gov/, see the video below.
New this year, you can also fill out the FAFSA from the myStudentAid App, for more information click the link: https://financialaidtoolkit.ed.gov/tk/announcement-detail.jsp?id=fafsa-mobile-options
Step 6: Make sure you list your potential schools on your FAFSA
CSS Profile
Some schools require students to fill out the CSS profile in addition to the FAFSA.
- Follow this link to see if any of your schools require the CSS Profile: https://profile.collegeboard.org/profile/ppi/participatingInstitutions.aspx
- For more information about the CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/
IRS Transcript
If your FAFSA is selected for verification, and you did not use the IRS Data Retrieval option, or you changed the IRS data, you will be required to request a tax transcript from IRS and submit it to the Financial Aid Office. Personal copies of tax returns can no longer be accepted.
Please make sure you request a Tax Return Transcript. DO NOT request a Tax Account Transcript or Record of Account because they cannot be used for financial aid verification purposes.
The Tax Transcript is free: