It's FAFSA time!
Beginning in December, you and your parents can complete the FAFSA.

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FAFSA Application Information:
If you’re a college-bound senior, you and your parents will need to complete the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)-the application for state, federal and college-based financial aid. It’s important to complete and submit the form before your college’s FAFSA priority date because financial aid is awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. If you don’t know your college’s priority date, contact the school’s financial aid office.

Follow these steps to complete the FAFSA

Step 1: Request a PIN
Request a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for you and one for a parent at FSAid.ed.gov  The PIN is your signature for the electronic FAFSA and is used to track your financial aid application.

Step 2: Use your tax information from the current year.  

Step 3: Gather these student and parent items:
• Federal income tax forms and, if applicable, Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) 
• W-2 forms
• Student’s driver’s license number
• Social Security numbers
• Birth dates
• Date parents were married, separated, divorced or widowed 
• Current cash, savings and checking account balances
• Current investment values (stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, etc.) excluding your home and retirement accounts
• Value of business (if more than 100 employees)
• Value of investment farm (Do not include the value of a family farm that you or your parents live on and operate)
• Child support (paid and/or received)
• Workers’ Compensation
• Other untaxed income such as housing/food/ living allowances for military and clergy
• Alien Registration Number for eligible non-citizens

Be prepared to answer the following FAFSA question: 
Did you or anyone in your household receive any of the following federal benefits? 
*Supplemental Security Income 
*Food Stamps
*TANF- Free or Reduced Price Lunch* WIC


Step 4: Complete and file the FAFSA 
Complete and file the FAFSA at www.fafsa.ed.gov. The colleges you list on the application will receive the results. 

If you’re filing the FAFSA for the first time and need help completing the form, call the Education Quest office if you encounter questions.  Call the Kearney office at 800-666-3721, Lincoln at 800-303-3745 or Omaha at 888-357-6300. All services are free.

Free online FAFSA tools (listed below) are available at https://www.educationquest.org/resources/fafsa-tools/ 

Free tools available to help you complete the FAFSA
Education Quest has online tools to help you complete the FAFSA. They are available in the “Completing the FAFSA” section at https://www.educationquest.org/

• “Guide to College Funding” video–explains the financial aid process and the FAFSA
• “FAFSA Made Easy” video–demonstrates, in a humorous way, that the FAFSA isn’t as difficult as it seems
• FAFSA Checklist–provides a list of items needed to complete the FAFSA
• FAFSA Tutorial–explains each FAFSA question

You filled out your FAFSA and submitted it. What happens next?
Click HERE for more information and tutorial on what to expect next and what the student and or parent needs to do to complete the financial aid process. 

1.  The information will go to the colleges you have listed.
2.  Each college will create their own Financial Aid Packet based you the students financial need, funds available and scholarships they are offering. 
3.  The financial Aid Packet may be mailed, emailed or only found on the student's school account;  it just depends on the college.  If they only post it to the students college account, the student needs to check it periodically so the offer doesn't expire before you are aware of it.
4.  All offers need to be accepted or rejected or edited.  (You can change the amount you want to borrow, but not the grants or scholarship amounts)
5.  If you accepted a loan then you need to fill out a promissory note and complete a short course on the loan process.  You pick your lender in most cases.
6.  The funds are available shortly after school starts.  Any money that isn't owed to the college for tuition or room and board, is paid back directly to you.  This is money for books, gas and essentials that are needed for the semester.