Understanding FAFSA

You must meet general eligibility criteria:  

• You must have a valid Social Security Number.
• You must be enrolled in a federally recognized program of study leading to a degree or certificate.
• You must have a high school diploma, GED, high school proficiency or ATB
• You must be a U.S. Citizen, or eligible non-citizen.
• You must not be in default on a prior student loan or owe a repayment on federal grants.
• You must be maintaining SAP (satisfactory academic progress) in your degree or certificate program.​

For the students - this allows students and their families to fill our the FAFSA form earlier than ever before in hopes to have your financial aid eligibility determined before the start of the semester.

Starting with the 2017/18 FAFSA income from two years prior will be required (ex: 2017/18 will require 2015 years income). If you have experienced an reduction of income or extenuating financial circumstances visit: 18-19 Financial Aid Forms webpage to file for an income adjustment.

The federal criteria for being an independent student does not take into consideration where a student lives or whether or not they provide their own support. Refer to "Section 2 -Student Dependency Status" on the FAFSA.

If your tax return is not complete, estimate as accurately as possible the prior or prior prior year's income and taxes paid using your W-2s 1099’s or pay stubs. As soon as you have completed your federal tax return, log back into your FAFSA and make any necessary corrections. It is recommended that after completing your taxes to select the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) for efficient processing. It is important that you do not make any changes to your FAFSA once you have selected to use the DRT.

I'm getting married next month. How do I answer the question that asks if I am married? 

Answer according to your marital status the day you sign the FAFSA. Answer "Yes" if you are married on the day you sign the FAFSA; otherwise, answer "No". 

Parent and/or student marital status has changed since taxes were filed

The FAFSA asks for marital status as of the day you sign the FAFSA. Select the marital status that applies to you as of the day you sign the FAFSA.

Please Note: Be prepared to submit a Wage and Income Transcript for both parents to verify that the income on the FAFSA is reported correctly. 

If my parents are divorced, whose information do I need to report on the FAFSA?

Only report income and assets for the parent whom you have lived with the most during the past 12 months. It does not matter which parent claims you as a dependent on taxes. If you did not live with either parent, or lived equally with each parent the parental information must be provided for the parent from whom you received the most financial support​.

What should I do if the parent with whom I live with is remarried? 

​​If you are a dependent student and your parent is remarried, the stepparent’s information must be provided in order to be considered for federal student aid.

If I am separated or divorced, but filed a joint tax return, how do I fill out my FAFSA?

You will provide only your own portion of the income, exemptions, taxes paid, and assets on the FAFSA.

Note: Be prepared to submit your and your  IRS Wage and Income Statement to verify that the income on the FAFSA is reported correctly. 

What if I live with a girlfriend or boyfriend who pays the rent? 

Do not report any information for a friend or roommate unless the two of you are married or are considered to have a common-law marriage under your state law. You do, however, report any cash given to you by the friend or roommate as untaxed income. 

Check the U.S. Citizen box only; if you have attained your U.S. Citizenship, do not give the ARN.

Yes and you may be required to provide documentation to the Financial Aid Office.

Once you have completed a Bachelor's Degree, you are not eligible to received federal and/or state grants. You have limited eligibility for the following programs:

California College Promise Grant (Formerly BOG Fee Waiver)

Scholarships

An Unsubsidized Student Loan ONLY

Awards listed on your Award Letter are based on full-time enrollment; The FPELL grant program does not require full-time enrollment (12 or more units), however payments are based on the number of units you are enrolled in at the time we disburse funds. Some grants do require full time enrollment status. Read more at: Disbursement Schedule.

Possibly. You will be notified in writing by the Financial Aid Office of how much you owe. Read more at: Return To Title IV Consumer Information. Note: Failure to repay funding will prevent any future financial aid at all colleges. 

No, financial aid does not transfer. If you are transferring to another college, you must add the other school's federal code to your current FAFSA. Contact the new school's financial aid office to find out what steps you need to take to complete the financial aid process.

No, you cannot receive aid from more than one school during the same term. To have your units from another college count towards your enrollment status at Shasta College, for FA purposes, Visit our Consortium Agreement webpage, listed under the FORMS Menu tab for more information.