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.

LOGIN PAGE

• If the student 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.
• All students are required to have an FSA ID (account username and password) to access the FAFSA form.
• If students don't have an FSA ID, they can select "Create an Account."

I AM STARTING THE FAFSA AS A

• After logging in, the student can select the applicable role to fill out the FAFSA form: “Student “ or "Parent.“
• The student selects “Student."

WHAT IS THE FAFSA FORM?

• When students start the 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 >

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FAFSA FORM

• The second FAFSA onboarding page provides information about the different roles that may be required to participate in the student’s FAFSA form and documents that may be needed to complete the form, including an accompanying video that explains contributors and information on how the student will invite them.

• Documents that may be needed to fill out the form are also included on this page.
• WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >

WHAT TO EXPECT

• The third FAFSA onboarding page provides information about what the student can expect when completing their FAFSA form. 

• This includes information about consent and approval, a time estimate for completing the form, and that they can save the form and return later if needed, along with an accompanying video.
• WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV  VIDEO >

AFTER SUBMITTING THE FAFSA FORM

• The last FAFSA onboarding page provides information about what to expect once the FAFSA form is completed, submitted, and processed.
• On this page, the student can select "Start the FAFSA Form" to begin.
• WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >

STUDENT IDENTITY INFORMATION

• This is the first page within the student section.
• The student can verify that their personal information is correct.
• To update any of the personal information, the student must access their Account Settings on StudentAid.gov.

STUDENT STATE OF LEGAL RESIDENCE

• The student is asked about their state of legal residence.
• The student selects the state from a drop-down box and provides the month and year when they became a legal resident.

STUDENT PROVIDING CONSENT FOR  FEDERAL TAX INFORMATION (FTI)

• This page informs the student about consent, approval, and the use of their federal tax information.

• By providing consent and approval, the student’s federal tax information is transferred directly into the FAFSA form from the IRS to help complete the "Student Financials" section.

STUDENT APPROVAL

• This is a continuation of the consent and approval page.

• Frequently asked questions about consent and approval are also provided so the student can expand and collapse.

• The student selects "Approve" to provide consent and approval and is taken to the next page. 

STUDENT IMPORTING IRS TAX INFORMATION

• This page imports the student’s federal tax information by directly transferring it into the FAFSA form from the IRS to help complete the "Student Financials" section.

STUDENT IMPORTING IRS TAX INFORMATION CONTINUED

• This page displays the results from the IRS import for the student.

• For this scenario, the student is starting a new FAFSA form and there is no federal tax information available from the IRS.

YOUR PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCES

• This is the first page within the Student Personal Circumstances section.
• It provides an overview of the section.

STUDENT MARITAL STATUS

• The student is asked about their marital status.
• The student selects the "Single (Never Married)" option.

STUDENT COLLEGE OR CAREER SCHOOL PLANS

• The student is asked about their college grade level for the 2025–26 school year and if they will have their first bachelor’s degree.
• For this example, the student selects that they will be a "First Year (freshman)" and that they will not have their first bachelor’s degree.

STUDENT PERSONAL CIRCUMSTANCE

• The student is asked if any of the listed personal circumstances apply to them.
• For this example, the student selects the "None of these apply" option.

STUDENT HOMELESSNESS

• The student is asked if they are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The student selects "No."

STUDENT UNUSUAL CIRCUMSTANCES

• The student is asked if they are homeless or at risk of being homeless.
• For this example, the student selects "No."

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 student selects "No," and if the student had selected “Yes,” a modal would appear to warn them about missing out on other potential federal student aid. 

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PARENTS

• As the student is considered dependent, they are asked to provide information about their parents.
• The FAFSA form considers their “Parent” to be their legal (biological or adoptive) parent.
• The student is asked if their parents are married.
• The student selects "Yes" and is required to invite their parents to their FAFSA form to complete the required parent sections.

INVITE PARENTS TO THE FAFSA FORM

• The student is asked to enter personal information about their parents to send them an invite to their FAFSA form.
• In this scenario, the student invites one parent.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS

• This is the first view within the "Student Demographics" section.
• It provides an overview of the section.

STUDENT DEMOGRAPHICS INFORMATION

• The student is asked about their gender identity.

• The student selects “Prefer not to answer.”

STUDENT RACE & ETHNICITY

• The student is asked if they are of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin.
• They are also asked about their race.
• The student selects checkboxes to answer both questions.

STUDENT CITIZENSHIP

• The student is asked about their citizenship status.
• The student selects the "U.S. Citizen or National" option.

PARENT EDUCATION STATUS

• The student is asked about their parents’ education status.
• The student selects the “Neither parent attended college” option.

PARENT KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY

• The student is asked if their parent was killed in the line of duty.
• The student selects "No" option.

STUDENT HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION STATUS

• The student is asked about their high school completion status when they start the 2025–26 school year.
• The student selects the "High School Diploma" option.

STUDENT HIGH SCHOOL INFORMATION

• The student is asked which high school they did or will graduate from.
• The student enters their high school’s state and city.
• After selecting "Search," they select the correct high school from the search results.

CONFIRM YOUR HIGH SCHOOL

• The student can edit the high school information presented on this page by selecting "Edit," which will return them to the high school information page.
• The student confirms their high school information and selects "Continue" to proceed to the next section.

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.

STUDENT TAX FILING STATUS

• The student is asked about their tax filing status.

• The student selects "Yes" to "Did or will the student file a 2023 IRS Form 1040 or 1040-NR?" 

STUDENT TAX RETURN INFORMATION

• The student is asked questions about their recent tax return.
• The student selects "Single" as their filing status.
  
• The student is asked about their taxes, income, and other financial information.
• The student enters dollar amounts in the responses.

STUDENT ASSETS

• The student is asked about their assets.
• The student enters a response in each entry field.

STUDENT SELECTS COLLEGES

• This is the first page in the Select Colleges section, which is the final part of the FAFSA form’s student section to require information.
• It provides an overview of the section.

SENDING THE FAFSA TO WHAT COLLEGES

• The student is asked to search for the colleges and/or career schools they would like to receive their FAFSA information.
• The student searches for a school by entering a state, city, and/or school name and selecting "Search," the student selects the correct school(s) from the search results.  
• If the student can’t find a school by searching by school name or state, they can search by school code.
• The student must add at least one college or career school to continue.
• Students can select to send their FAFSA information to a maximum of 20 schools.
• After the student selects the correct school(s) from the search results, they can review their chosen school(s) before continuing.

REVIEWING INFORMATION BEFORE SIGNING

• The review page displays the student's responses in the FAFSA form.
• The student can view all their responses by selecting "Expand All" or expanding each section individually.
• To edit a response, the student can select the question’s hyperlink and will be taken to the corresponding page.
• Additionally, since the student invited their parent into the form, they see the parent contributor section and the status of their parent’s invite.

SIGN AND COMPLETE STUDENT PART

• 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.

• 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.

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. 

PARENT FAFSA EMAIL INVITATION

• This is NOT a view within StudentAid.gov nor the FAFSA form.
• This view demonstrates a parent opening the FAFSA invitation from their email.
• The parent selects “Log In" and is taken to StudentAid.gov.

PARENT FAFSA LOGIN

• The parent is taken to the “Log In” page from their email to enter their login credentials.
• To access the FAFSA form, all users are required to have an FSA ID (account username and password).
• If the parent doesn't have an FSA ID, they can select "Create an Account."

PARENT ADDED AS CONTRIBUTOR TO DEPENDENT STUDENT FAFSA FORM

• After successfully logging in, the parent is taken to their “My Activity” page.
• The parent sees an invitation to be a contributor on the student’s FAFSA form.
• When the parent selects "Accept Invitation," a pop-up window appears to remind the parent that their personal information is needed to fill out the student’s FAFSA form.
• The parent selects "Continue" to agree to share their information and enters the FAFSA form.

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 >
  

CONTRIBUTORS TO THE  FAFSA

• 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.

• Documents that may be needed to fill out the form are also included on this page.

• WATCH STUDENTAID.GOV VIDEO >

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 >

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 >

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.
• For fields related to the parent’s mailing address, the parent can edit them directly on this page.

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.

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.

PARENT DEMOGRAPHICS

• This is the first view within the Parent Demographics section.
• It provides an overview of the section.

PARENT CURRENT MARITAL STATUS

• The parent is asked about their current marital status.
• They select the "Married (not Separated)" option.

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.

PARENT FINANCIAL SECTION

• This is the first page within the Parent Financials section.
• It provides an overview of the section.

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

• 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?" and “Yes” to “Did or will the parent file a 2023 joint tax return with their current spouse?”

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

• 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

• The parent is asked questions about their 2023 tax return.
• The parent enters a response in each entry field. 

PARENT ASSETS

• The parent is asked about their assets. 
• The parent enters a response in each entry field. 

PARENT OTHER INFORMATION

• The parent is asked to provide information about their spouse or partner. In this example, the other parent does not need to contribute to the student’s FAFSA form because the parents filed taxes jointly.
• After providing the other parent’s information, all required parent information will be complete.

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.

PARENT SIGNATURE

• On this page, the parent acknowledges the terms and conditions of the FAFSA form and signs their section.
• Since all required sections are complete, the parent can both sign and submit the student’s FAFSA form.

FAFSA CONFIRMATION

• Upon submitting the student’s FAFSA form, the parent has an abbreviated confirmation page.
• This page displays information about tracking the student’s FAFSA form and next steps.
• The student will receive an email with the full, detailed confirmation.
• With the student and parent sections completed and signed, the FAFSA form is now considered complete and submitted for processing.

LANDING PAGE

• The student receives a FAFSA Submission Summary for their processed FAFSA form and any subsequent corrections that they submit.

• The FAFSA Submission Summary is broken into four tabs: “Eligibility Overview,” “FAFSA Form Answers,” “School Information,” and “Next Steps.”

• 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.

ELIGIBILITY OVERVIEW

• 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.

• Any amounts of financial aid that display on this tab are estimates and are not guaranteed.

• 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 FORM ANSWERS

• On the "FAFSA Form Answers" tab, the student sees the answers that they provided on their FAFSA form.

• If any of the provided answers are incorrect, the student can choose to make a correction. 

FAFSA FORM ANSWERS CONTRIBUTORS

• This is a continuation of the "FAFSA Form Answers" tab.

• 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.

SCHOOL INFORMATION

• 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.

• 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.

NEXT STEPS

• On the "Next Steps" tab, the student sees comments that pertain to their FAFSA form.

• Some comments may require the student to make a correction or send additional documentation to their school.

• Other comments may be informational and do not require any further action from the student.

MORE RESOURCES

• Lastly, along the right side of their FAFSA Submission Summary, the student can access additional resources, including visiting “My Aid” or College Scorecard.