Is FAFSA for Indian Students- What to Know

Have you been looking up details regarding FAFSA for Indian students? It should be stated here that FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is an important form that should be submitted by US citizens. Most international students are not eligible for federal financial aid through the FAFSA. This is because FAFSA programs are funded by the US government and primarily intended for US citizens and permanent residents.

Importance of FAFSA 

FAFSA is highly important, since career institutions and colleges in the US depend on the FAFSA form for several purposes. These include the amount of financial aid that a student is eligible to obtain, inclusive of scholarships, grants, loans, and work and study funds. While aid should be applied for each year, it is not difficult, provided suitable information is always at hand. 

FAFSA Eligibility 

When it comes to eligibility, here are a few points that should be noted by aspirants. 

• FSA ID or the verified password and username for the account 
• The name of the parent/spouse contributor 
• Birth date 
• Email address
• Asset and income details, if necessary 
• Social security number 

Who Should Submit FAFSA Application 

FAFSA applications should be submitted by US citizens who wish to be considered for obtaining state, federal, or school financial aid. This applies irrespective of the student’s income or background and covers scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study funds. 

Steps to Apply for FAFSA 

Before applying for the FAFSA form, it is vital to know that the form for 2024-25 increases student aid eligibility, bringing in Pell Grants and offering better experiences for users. A whopping 610,000 new aspirants from lower-income backgrounds will now be eligible for the Federal Pell Grants with new updates. Applicants can also skip a maximum of 26 questions, based on their personal circumstances. 

Here are the steps that you should follow in order to apply. 

1. Create your StudentAid.gov account, while carefully filling up your social security number and name. 
2. Those without social security numbers can create their accounts for filling up the relevant part of the FAFSA form. 
3. Each contributor (parent, spouse, parent’s spouse) has to create a StudentAid.gov account prior to completing their form sections. 
4. Choose Start New Form and enter your password and username for logging in. You can then choose the applicable role, i.e. parent or student. 
5. Enter key information like your date of birth, name, social security number, and username and password. 
6. Compile the documents for your application and fill out the form with details like your federal tax information/returns if applicable, parents social security numbers, driving license number if you have it, and A-number if you are not a citizen of the US. 
7. You should provide untaxed records of income of yourself or your parents along with details of checking account balances, savings, investments and other assets. 
8. You can file your form by logging in at fafsa.gov or by completing a PDF and emailing it. 
9. You can also request a print-out by calling 1-800-433-3243. You can fill it up and then email it for processing. 
10. While completing your form, list a minimum of one institution for getting your details. The list may contain up to 20 schools if you are applying on the portal or up to 10 schools if you are applying via a PDF. 
11. Choose the right dependency status and report necessary details of your parents or other contributors along with financial information. 
12. Electronically sign and submit the form after issuing necessary acknowledgements. 
13. View the confirmation page with your data release number, date of completion, and other steps to be followed. An estimated student aid index will also be provided. 

After submitting the form, you will receive an official email confirmation with some details about your federal student aid eligibility. Once the schools get your eligibility details, they will offer personalized details in the next few weeks. You will receive an email when the FAFSA data has been dispatched to your chosen schools. You can view your submission summary at StudentAid.gov. 

Documents Required for FAFSA

Here are some of the documents that you may require for the FAFSA form. 

• Social security numbers of your parents if you are a dependent aspirant
• Records of any child support that you have received
• Tax returns 
• Net worth of businesses, investments and other assets
• Present savings and cash balances along with checking account details 

Common Mistakes to Avoid During FAFSA Application

Here are a few mistakes that you should look to avoid while filling up the FAFSA form. 

1. Complete the entire FAFSA form in time since you will not qualify for financial aid if you do not submit all the necessary details. 
2. Several states have limited resources available, so you should fill up as early as you can. Remember to check the state deadlines carefully. 
3. Create your StudentAid.gov account with a password and username. It may take up to three days before you can use your FSA ID for signing into the FAFSA form. 
4. Remember that you and your parents (if you are a dependent student) will individually require FSA IDs for filling up the form. 
5. Use the proper identifier- student, preparer, parent while filling up the form. Use your FSA ID at the beginning to avoid a scenario later where the information regarding the FSA ID does not match the actual details. 
6. Read every definition or question minutely since the form may ask for specific information in several cases. 
7. Keep an eye out for the parent whose information you should report, the legal guardianship aspects, family member details, net worth, and taxable scholarships and college grants. 
8. Do not list just one college or institution. Add all your choices even if you are not sure of finding a place. This will only boost your chances. 
9. Do not log out without signing the form electronically. In case there are issues with signing with your FSA ID, then you can always email your signature page. 
10.  Double-check everything that you have entered in order to avoid errors. 

These are some details of FAFSA that will help, should you be looking at applying with the same. You should keep all the guidelines and other instructions in mind to avoid common mistakes and errors.