RISLA College Planning Center
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The RISLA College Planning Center (CPC) is here to help students achieve their higher education dreams! We offer complimentary FAFSA completion appointments for parents and students—let’s make those goals a reality together!
FAFSA Form | Home & Login
Let's start with the basics.
Below are visuals from studentaid.gov to help you understand how to create a new account and log in.
Parent | FAFSA Landing Page
FAFSA FORM LANDING PAGE
- This is the main landing page for the FAFSA form.
- This page directs students to "Start a New Form" or "Edit Existing Form."
- For this presentation, the student is beginning a new application.
Parent | Login
LOGIN PAGE
- If the parent selects "Start a New Form" from the FAFSA landing page and is not logged in to StudentAid.gov, they are taken to the “Log In” page to enter their login credentials.
- To access the FAFSA for, all parents are required to have an FSA ID (account username and password) to access the FAFSA form.
- If the parent doesn't have an FSA ID, they can select "Create an Account."
Step 01 | Parent | Roles
To help you prepare for the FAFSA, we have provided a preview of the FAFSA form. It’s important to fill out the FAFSA as soon as you can, even if your state and school deadlines are far away. Some states and schools may run out of financial aid, so don’t wait until the last minute to apply!
Dependent Student | Roles
I AM STARTING THE FAFSA AS A
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After logging in, the parent selects the applicable role to fill out the FAFSA form: "Parent."
Step 02 | Parent | Student Information
The Student Identity Information section requires the student's name, date of birth, and other personal details. If you have previously completed the FAFSA form or logged in using your FSA ID, much of the student's information will be automatically filled in to save time. Make sure to enter your student's personal information exactly as it appears on their Social Security card—no nicknames allowed.
Parent | Student Information
STUDENT INFORMATION
- The parent is asked to provide the student's information.
- Since the student has not started a FAFSA form yet, they will receive an email notifying them that a FAFSA form was started on their behalf.
- The student can then enter the form to provide consent, sign the form, and make needed corrections.
- To update any of the personal information, the student must access their Account Settings on StudentAid.gov.
Step 3 | Parent | Onboarding
The Parent Onboarding section provides a comprehensive guide to completing the FAFSA, including information on student and parent contributions, what to expect during the process, and follow-up steps after completing the FAFSA.
Parent | Onboarding | Section 01
WHAT IS THE FAFSA FORM?
- When the parent enters a 2025–26 FAFSA form for the first time, they are taken through the FAFSA onboarding process.
- The first onboarding page provides an overview of the FAFSA form and an accompanying video.
- WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV FAFSA OVERVIEW >
Parent | Onboarding | Section 02
CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FAFSA
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The second FAFSA onboarding page provides information about contributors who may be required to participate in the student’s FAFSA form, including an accompanying video explaining contributors and information on how the parent will invite them.
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Documents that may be needed to fill out the form are also included on this page.
- WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >
Parent | Onboarding | Section 03
WHAT TO EXPECT
- The third FAFSA onboarding page provides information about what the parent can expect when completing the student’s FAFSA form.
- This includes information about consent and approval, a time estimate to complete the form, the ability to save the form and return it later if needed, and an accompanying video.
- WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >
Parent | Onboarding | Section 04
AFTER SUBMITTING THE FAFSA FORM
- The last onboarding page provides information about what to expect once the FAFSA form is completed, submitted, and processed.
- On this page, the parent selects "Start FAFSA Form" to begin the parent section.
- WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >
Step 04 | Parent | Student Identity
The Student Identity Information section requires your name, date of birth, and other personal details. If you have previously completed the FAFSA form or logged in using your FSA ID, much of your information will be automatically filled in to save you time. Make sure to enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your Social Security card—no nicknames allowed.
Parent | Student Identity Information
STUDENT IDENTITY INFORMATION
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After starting the FAFSA®form, the parent sees the first page within the parent section.
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The parent can verify that the student’s personal information is correct.
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To update any of the personal information, the student must access their Account Settings on StudentAid.gov
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The parent will not be able to update the student’s information on this page.
Step 05 | Parent | Student State of Legal Residence
The Parent can select the Student's required legal State of residence.
Parent | Student State of Legal Residence
STUDENT STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE
- The parent is asked about the student's state of legal residence.
- The parent selects the state from a drop-down box and provides the month and year when the student became a legal resident.
Step 06 | Parent | Student Personal Circumstance
Share information about the student's marital status, financial dependencies, college plans, and any circumstances that might influence your eligibility for aid.
Parent | Student Personal Circumstances
STUDENT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
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This is the first page within the "Student Personal Circumstances" section. It provides an overview of the section.
Parent | Student Marital Status
STUDENT MARITAL STATUS
- The parent is asked about the student's marital status.
- The parent selects the "Single (Never Married)" option.
Parent | Student College or Career School Plans
STUDENT COLLEGE OR CAREER SCHOOL PLANS
- The parent is asked about the student's college grade level for the 2025–26 school year and if they will have their first bachelor’s degree.
- The parent selects that the student will be a "First Year (freshman)" and that they will not have their first bachelor’s degree.
Parent | Student Personal Circumstances
STUDENT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCE
- The parent is asked if any of the listed personal circumstances apply to the student.
- The parent selects the "None of these apply" option.
Parent | Student Homelessness
STUDENT HOMELESSNESS
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The parent is asked if the student was unaccompanied and either homeless or at risk of being homeless.
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The parent selects "No."
Parent | Student Unusual Circumstances
STUDENT UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES
- The parent is asked if unusual circumstances prevent the student from contacting their parent(s).
- The parent selects "No."
Step 07 | Parent | Student Dependency Status
The student is asked if they want the financial aid office to determine their eligibility for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. This is an alternative option if the student's parents are reluctant to provide information and financial support.
Parent | Student Dependency Status
STUDENT DEPENDENCY STATUS
- Based on the answers provided by the student, they are considered a dependent student.
- The student is asked if they want a financial aid administrator to determine their eligibility for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only.
- This is an option if the student’s parents are unwilling to provide information.
- The parent selects "No."
Step 08 | Parent | Identity Information
The Parent Identity Information section includes your name, date of birth, etc. If you either completed the FAFSA form in the past or logged into the FAFSA form with your FSA ID, most of your personal information will pre-populate to save you time. Be sure to enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your Social Security card.
Parent | Identity Information
PARENT IDENTITY INFORMATION
- This is the first page within the parent section.
- The parent can verify that their personal information is correct.
- To update any of the personal information, the parent must access their Account Settings on StudentAid.gov.
Step 09 | Parent | Provides Consent & Approval
The Parent Identity Information section includes your name, date of birth, etc. If you either completed the FAFSA form in the past or logged into the FAFSA form with your FSA ID, most of your personal information will pre-populate to save you time. Be sure to enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your Social Security card.
Parent | Provides Consent & Approval
PARENT PROVIDING CONSENT FOR FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (FTI)
- This page informs the parent about consent, approval, and the use of their federal tax information.
- By providing consent and approval, the parent’s federal tax information is transferred directly into the FAFSA form from the IRS to help complete the "Parent Financials" section.
- The parent selects "Approve" to provide consent and approval, and they are taken to the next page.
- Frequently asked questions about consent and approval are also provided so that the parent can expand and collapse.
Step 10 | Parent | Imports IRS Information
Parent | Imports IRS Information
PARENT IMPORTS IRS INFORMATION
- This page imports the parent’s federal tax information by directly transferring it into the FAFSA form from the IRS to help complete the “Parent Financials" section.
- It will display the results from the IRS import for the parent.
- For this scenario, the parent is contributing to a new FAFSA form, and no federal tax information is available from the IRS.
Step 11 | Parent | Demographics
The parent will need to answer information about themselves. Some of these questions will help determine how much federal student aid may be eligible to receive for college.
Parent | Demographics
PARENT DEMOGRAPHICS
- This is the first view within the Parent Demographics section.
- It provides an overview of the section.
Parent | Current Marital Status
PARENT CURRENT MARITAL STATUS
- The parent is asked about their current marital status.
- For this example, they select the "Single (never married)" option.
Parent | State of Legal Residence
PARENT STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE
- The parent is asked about their state of legal residence.
- The parent selects the state from a dropdown box and provides the month and year they became legal residents.
Step 12 | Parent | Financials
The parent will need to answer information about themselves. Some of these questions will help determine how much federal student aid may be eligible to receive for college.
Parent | Financials
PARENT FINANCIAL SECTION
- This is the first page within the Parent Financials section.
- It provides an overview of the section.
Parent | Federal Benefits
PARENT FEDERAL BENEFITS RECEIVED
- This page asks the parent if they or anyone in their family has received federal benefits.
- The parent selects "None of these apply."
Parent | Tax Filing Status
PARENT TAX FILING STATUS
- This page asks the parent about their tax filing status.
- The parent selects "Yes" to "Did or will the parent file a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR?"
Parent | Family Size
PARENT FAMILY SIZE
- This page displays the family size for the student.
- The parent has the option to enter the number of children or other dependents who live with the parent and will receive more than half of their support from the parent between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
Parent | Number in College
PARENT NUMBER IN COLLEGE
- This page asks the parent how many people in the family will be in college between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.
- The parent enters a response into the entry field.
Parent | Tax Return Information
PARENT TAX RETURN INFORMATION
- The parent is asked questions about their 2023 tax return.
- The parent enters a response in each entry field.
Parent | Assets
PARENT ASSETS
- The parent is asked about their assets.
- The parent enters a response in each entry field.
Step 13 | Parent | Review Page
Parents should carefully review the information entered before signing.
Parent | Review Page
PARENT Review page
- The review page displays the responses that the parent has provided in the FAFSA form.
- The parent can only view responses within the parent section of the student’s FAFSA form.
- The parent can view all their responses by selecting "Expand All" or expand each section individually.
- To edit a response, the parent can select the question’s hyperlink to be taken to the corresponding page.
Step 14 | Parent | Signature
Parents should carefully review the information entered before signing.
Parent | Signature
PARENT SIGNATURE
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On this page, the parent acknowledges the terms and conditions of the FAFSA form and signs their section.
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After agreeing and signing, the parent is able to submit their section of the FAFSA form.
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Since the student section is incomplete, the FAFSA form is not considered complete and can’t be processed yet.
Step 15 | Parent | Section Complete
Congratulations! You have completed your FAFSA! You will now receive your confirmation email, Notification of FAFSA Processing, and college updates and notifications.
Parent | Section Complete
SECTION COMPLETE
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Upon signing the parent section, the parent is presented “The parent section is complete!” page.
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This page displays information for the parent about the next steps, including tracking the student’s FAFSA form.
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The parent is reminded that the student’s form is not complete and can’t be processed until the student section is complete.
Step 16 | Parent | Dependent Student Demographics
Dependent students will need to answer information about themselves and their parents. Some of these questions will help determine how much federal student aid they may be eligible to receive for college.
Parent | Student Demographics Introduction
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS
- This is the first view within the "Student Demographics" section.
- It provides an overview of the section.
Parent | Student Demographic Information
STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS INFORMATION
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The student is asked about their gender identity.
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The student selects “Prefer not to answer.”
Parent | Student Race & Ethnicity
STUDENT RACE & ETHNICITY
- The parent is asked if the student is of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.
- They are also asked about the student’s race.
- The parent selects checkboxes to answer both questions.
Parent | Student Citizenship
STUDENT CITIZENSHIP
- The parent is asked about the student's citizenship status.
- The parent selects the "U.S. Citizen or National" option.
Parent | Education Status
PARENT EDUCATION STATUS
- The parent is asked about their education status.
- They select the "Neither parent attended college" option.
Parent | Killed in Line of Duty
PARENT KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY
- The parent is asked if the student's parent or guardian was killed in the line of duty.
- The parent selects the "No" option.
Parent | Student High School Completion Status
STUDENT HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION STATUS
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The parent is asked what the student’s high school completion status will be when they start the 2025–26 school year.
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The parent selects the "High school diploma" option.
Parent | Student High School Information
STUDENT HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION
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The parent is asked which high school the student did or will graduate from.
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The parent enters the student’s high school’s state and city.
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After selecting "Search," they select the correct high school from the search results.
Parent | Confirms High School
CONFIRM HIGH SCHOOL
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The parent is asked to confirm the high school information.
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By selecting "Edit," they will return to the high school information page.
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The parent verifies the student’s high school information and selects "Continue" to proceed to the next section.
Step 17 | Parent | Student Financials
The FAFSA form assesses the student's ability to pay for college, including personal investments, real estate, and other assets, excluding financial aid and state/federal benefits.
Parent | Student Financials Introduction
STUDENT FINANCIALS
- This is the first page within the Student Financials section.
- It provides an overview of the section.
- The student can select the hyperlink if they want to learn about special financial circumstances.
Parent | Student Tax Filing Status
STUDENT TAX FILING STATUS
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The student is asked about their tax filing status.
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The student selects "Yes" to "Did or will the student file a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR?"
Parent | Student Tax Return Information
STUDENT TAX RETURN INFORMATION
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Since the student has not provided consent and approval for their federal tax information to be transferred directly into the FAFSA form, the parent is asked to manually enter the student’s 2023 tax return information.
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The parent selects their tax filing status and enters a response in each entry field.
Parent | Student Assets
STUDENT ASSETS
- The parent is asked about the student's assets.
- The parent enters a response in each entry field.
Step 18 | Parent | Selects Colleges
This section allows parents to search for and select schools they are considering attending. Once the student has completed the FAFSA, the selected schools will automatically receive an electronic copy.
Parent | Selects Colleges
PARENT SELECTS COLLEGES
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This is the first page in the "Select Colleges and Career Schools" section, which is the final part of the FAFSA form’s student section to require information.
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It provides an overview of the section.
Parent | College Search
SENDING THE FAFSA TO WHAT COLLEGES
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The parent is asked to search for the colleges, career schools, and/or trade schools they would like to receive the student’s FAFSA information.
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The parent searches for a school by entering a state, city, and/or school name.
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After selecting "Search," they select the correct school(s) from the search results.
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Parents can send the student’s FAFSA information to a maximum of 20 schools. The parent is required to add at least one college or career school.
Step 19 | Parent | Student Review Page
Parents should review the information entered. Incorrect information could prolong the FAFSA process.
Dependent Student | Review Page
REVIEWING INFORMATION BEFORE SIGNING
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The review page displays the responses that the parent has provided in the FAFSA form on behalf of the student.
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The parent can view all the responses by selecting "Expand All" or expanding each section individually.
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To edit a response, the parent can select the question’s hyperlink and will be taken to the corresponding page.
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The parent cannot provide a signature for the student.
Dependent Student | Signature
SIGN AND COMPLETE STUDENT PART
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On this page, the student reviews the terms and conditions of the FAFSA form and what they’ll agree to if they sign the form.
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After agreeing to the terms and conditions of the FAFSA form and signing, the student is able to submit their section of the FAFSA form.
- Since parent information has not been provided, the FAFSA form is not considered complete and can’t be processed yet.
Dependent Student | Section Complete
THE STUDENT SECTION IS COMPLETE
- Upon signing the student section, the student is presented with the student section complete page.
- This page displays information for the student about next steps, including tracking their FAFSA form.
- This page displays information for the student about next steps, including checking their email and a reminder that their FAFSA form is not completed and can’t be submitted until the parent completes the contributor section of the form and signs it.
- Next, in this scenario, the student’s invited parent will enter the FAFSA form and complete the parent section.
Step 20 | Parent | Student Missing Content Message
Read carefully below to complete the missing information to process the application.
Parent | Student Missing Information Message
STUDENT MISSING INFORMATION MESSAGE
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The parent is presented the missing student consent and approval message after hitting the "Submit" button on the review page.
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This message explains that because the student’s consent and approval and signature are missing, the student is currently ineligible for federal student aid, including grants and loans.
Step 21 | Parent | Student Section Complete
Congratulations! You have completed your FAFSA! Now you will receive your confirmation email, Notification of FAFSA Processing, and college updates and notifications.
Dependent Student | FAFSA Confirmation
STUDENT SECTION COMPLETE
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The parent is presented the student section complete page after the parent hits "Submit" on the message.
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This page displays information for the parent about next steps, including tracking the student’s FAFSA form.
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Because the student’s consent and approval and signature are missing, the student is currently ineligible for federal student aid, including grants and loans.
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The student must enter their form, provide their consent and approval and signature, and submit the student section for their FAFSA form to be processed.
FAFSA Submission Summary
The student will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary and will review Eligibility Overview, FAFSA Form Answers, School Information, and Next Steps. It is important to review and update any information that may need correction.
FAFSA Submission Summary | Landing Page
LANDING PAGE
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The student receives a FAFSA Submission Summary for their processed FAFSA form and any subsequent corrections that they submit.
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The FAFSA Submission Summary is broken into four tabs: “Eligibility Overview,” “FAFSA Form Answers,” “School Information,” and “Next Steps.”
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At the top, the student will see when their form was received and processed. They also have the option to print their FAFSA Submission Summary to keep for their records.
FAFSA Submission Summary | Eligibility Overview
ELIGIBILITY OVERVIEW
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On the "Eligibility Overview" tab, the student sees information about what federal student aid they may be eligible for, such as a Federal Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loans.
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Any amounts of financial aid that display on this tab are estimates and are not guaranteed.
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Final determination of the student’s financial aid eligibility is provided by their school’s financial aid office.
- They are also able to view their Student Aid Index.
FAFSA Submission Summary | Form Answers
FAFSA FORM ANSWERS
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On the "FAFSA Form Answers" tab, the student sees the answers that they provided on their FAFSA form.
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If any of the provided answers are incorrect, the student can choose to make a correction.
FAFSA Submission Summary | Form Answers Contributors
FAFSA FORM ANSWERS CONTRIBUTORS
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This is a continuation of the "FAFSA Form Answers" tab.
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If applicable, student sees the answers their contributor(s) provided on their FAFSA form. I am running a few minutes late; my previous meeting is running over.
FAFSA Submission Summary | School Information
SCHOOL INFORMATION
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On the "School Information" tab, the student sees information about the college(s) and/or career school(s) that they selected to send their FAFSA information.
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The student can compare the graduation rate, retention rate, transfer rate, default rate, median debt upon completion, and average annual cost of their selected schools.
FAFSA Submission Summary | Next Steps
NEXT STEPS
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On the "Next Steps" tab, the student sees comments that pertain to their FAFSA form.
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Some comments may require the student to make a correction or send additional documentation to their school.
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Other comments may be informational and do not require any further action from the student.
FAFSA Submission Summary | More Resources
MORE RESOURCES
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Lastly, along the right side of their FAFSA Submission Summary, the student can access additional resources, including visiting “My Aid” or College Scorecard.
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