FAFSA Help Guide: Contact Information
Step #1: Basic Contact Information (Orange section)
- It sounds stupid, but make sure the name is in the correct order: Last, First, MI.
- Whenever you're filling out basic information, use the same information as on your IRS tax return, which should be identical to the information on your Social Security paperwork/card.
- Your address on Questions 4-7 is the same as the address you use on your tax returns.
- Be absolutely, positively sure you've got the Social Security Number (SSN) right on Question 8. Nothing will kill a FAFSA faster than a mistake on the SSN.
- No driver's license? State ID will do. No ID at all? You can safely leave Question 11-12 blank, but it's not encouraged.
- Double-check your email address on Question 13! The Department of Education will send FAFSA results to that email address.
Demographics
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- Questions 16 and 17 - reminder - this is the student, not the parents!
- Some people get tripped up on Question 18. This is the state you live in, not the state where you were born or the state where you go to college. It also has nothing to do with immigration. Easiest answer: what state is your driver's license from?
- Question 22 about Selective Service: Yes, that's the draft. It is a requirement that males 18 years old or older be registered for the draft. No Selective Service registration equals no financial aid.
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Question 23 - Do not leave this blank!:
- Enter 1 for 1st bachelor's degree.
- Enter 2 for 2nd bachelor's degree.
- Enter 3 for associate degree (occupational or technical program).
- Enter 4 for associate degree (general education or transfer program).
- Enter 5 for certificate or diploma for completing an occupational, technical, or educational program of less than two years.
- Enter 6 for certificate or diploma for completing an occupational, technical, or educational program of at least two years.
- Enter 7 for teaching credential program (non-degree program).
- Enter 8 for graduate or professional degree, including doctoral degrees.
- Enter 9 for other/undecided.
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Question 24 - Do not leave this blank!:
- Enter 0 for never attended college & 1st year undergraduate.
- Enter 1 for attended college before & 1st year undergraduate.
- Enter 2 for 2nd year undergraduate/sophomore.
- Enter 3 for 3rd year undergraduate/junior.
- Enter 4 for 4th year undergraduate/senior.
- Enter 5 for 5th year/other undergraduate.
- Enter 6 for 1st year graduate/professional.
- Enter 7 for continuing graduate/professional or beyond.
- If you've taken a few credit hours but otherwise have not gone to college, choose 0.
- If you want to qualify for Federal Student Loans, Perkins Loans, and other federal student loans such as the Parent PLUS loan as well as Federal Work Study, you must enter 3 for Question 26. This does not obligate you to apply for a loan (that's done separately at sites like StaffordLoan.com).
- Questions 29 and 30 (parents education) are used to qualify you for scholarships for students who are the first in their family to go to college. Be sure to complete this - some schools have additional aid for students with parents either from certain educational backgrounds, or who are the first in their family to go to college.
- On Question 31 - answer honestly, and don't leave it blank. If you have been convicted, omitting the answer can be a crime. Remember, the question is just about whether the drug offense was while you were receiving federal financial aid.
