The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step in the financial assistance process at St. Edward's University. For priority consideration for need-based grants at St. Edward's, students must file the FAFSA by April 15th every year.

• Previous year's tax return. For example, if you are filing the FAFSA for the 2009-2010 school year, you will need your family's tax returns from 2008.
• Federal School Code. The federal school code for St. Edward's University is 003621.
• Department of Education Personal Identification Number (PIN). This is used to electronically sign the FAFSA. If you do not have a PIN you can request one on the FAFSA web site. The student and the parents (if applicable) will need a PIN number to sign electronically.

STEP 1: Get a PIN:
What is a PIN?
The PIN is a four-digit number issued to you by the Department of Education. It serves a number of important functions. The PIN allows you to:

Getting a PIN:

STEP 2: Complete the "FAFSA on the Web" Worksheet 
The Department of Education provides a "FAFSA on the Web" worksheet which you can use to gather the financial information you'll need to complete the FAFSA before you go online. You can download a copy the worksheet here.

STEP 3: File Your FAFSA Online - fafsa.ed.gov
Once your and your parent have obtained your PIN and you have the FAFSA Worksheet, log on to fafsa.ed.gov after January 1, 2009 to file the 2009-2010 FAFSA. Make sure to list St. Edward's Federal School Code, 003621, in the school release section. Also make sure to complete each step and write down or print out your confirmation number when you finish entering the form. You will need the confirmation number in case any problems arise with the processing of your application.

STEP 4: Monitor the Status of Your FAFSA
After you've filed your form, you can check the status of your application online at fafsa.ed.gov, or you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243 and use their automated response system. St. Edward's should receive the results of your application within two to three days after it has been processed. If you do not receive a response from the Department of education within two weeks of submitting your FAFSA, you should contact the Federal Student Aid Information Center for assistance.

In many cases, our office must verify that a student meets general eligibility requirements before we can determine or offer that student an assistance package. Although the Department of Education attempts to verify many of these requirements by matching applicant data from the FAFSA with different Federal databases, sometimes the department cannot determine if the students meets the necessary requirements. In such cases, we must request supplemental paperwork from the student to make the determination ourselves. Applicants should be prepared to submit the following types of paperwork to our office:

All applicants:

US Citizens:

Resident Aliens and Other Eligible Non-Citizens:

Male Applicants:

Applicants with Outstanding Federal Student Loans:

Applicants with Drug Convictions:

Your financial assistance package will contain additional paperwork related to the assistance you are offered. Our office notifies student periodically to alert them to pending or missing paperwork.