8 Steps to Successfully Apply for Federal Student Aid

Step 1
Get information at FederalStudentAid.ed.gov or call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
Talk with your high school counselor or the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend.
Make a free financial aid application enter Fafsa

Step 2
Get a Federal Student Aid PIN at www.pin.ed.gov.

Step 3
Personal documents and information such as tax returns and W-2 forms.

Step 4
Make sure you meet the college and state aid deadlines.

Step 5
Get your Student Aid Report (SAR) which is a summary of your data with an information on the status of your FAFSA.

Step 6
The colleges you list on your FAFSA need to verify the information that you provided on your FAFSA.

Step 7
Follow up with your colleges.

Step 8
Contact your college's financial aid office only after you have your award information.