Financial Aid Resources
Find ways to pay for college and manage costs to stay on your postsecondary path.

Get Started
Follow the steps below to secure financial aid and make informed choices of where to go to college and how to pay for it. High school students can also download our senior year checklist.
This checklist is available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Prepare
Make a College List (opens in a new tab)
Create a college list that factors in affordability.
Create an FSA ID (opens in a new tab)
The Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID is a username and password that you need to start the FAFSA. Use our guide to create your FSA ID.
The FSA ID How-to Guide is also available in Cape Verdean, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Apply
Submit the FAFSA (opens in a new tab)
Follow these steps to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to apply for most types of financial aid.
The FAFSA checklist is also available in Arabic, Cape Verdean, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Chinese, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Submit the CSS Profile (opens in a new tab)
Online application for institutional aid used by some colleges and scholarship programs.
Apply to Scholarships With Our Toolkit (opens in a new tab)
Scholarship Support (opens in a new tab)
Get free help to find scholarships, organize applications and deadlines, and write essays.
Follow Up
Review FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS) (opens in a new tab)
The FSS includes your Student Aid Index (SAI) and flags any issues with your FAFSA that must be resolved. How-to guide coming soon!
Complete Verification (opens in a new tab)
If selected for verification, you're required to provide requested documents in order to receive financial aid.
Complete IDOC (opens in a new tab)
If you submitted a CSS Profile, you may be required to complete the Institutional Documentation Service (IDOC).
Decide
Review Financial Aid Offers (opens in a new tab)
Understand your aid offers and compare the total costs of attending different colleges.
Appeal Your Financial Aid (opens in a new tab)
If your financial situation has changed, you can appeal so your financial aid is based on your current circumstances.
Enroll
Pay Tuition Deposit (opens in a new tab)
A non-refundable down payment due by May 1 to hold your spot at most 4-year colleges.
Cover the Tuition Bill (opens in a new tab)
Explore your options and make a plan to cover the college bill and other costs.
Attend
Estimate Indirect Expenses (opens in a new tab)
Know how much you may have to pay for expenses that aren't on your college bill, like course materials and transportation.
Meet Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) (opens in a new tab)
Know how to keep your financial aid throughout college.
Prepare to Transfer Colleges (opens in a new tab)
Follow these steps if you're planning to transfer.
Latest Resources
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Financial Aid Events
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Making a College List? Use These Tools to Factor in Affordability
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