The 2026-27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid form opened early this year! It’s important to fill out your FAFSA completely and early to ensure that you get the most aid possible.
If you need to submit yours, this video is a step-by-step guide from Kaitlyn Goslinga, University of the Pacific’s senior assistant director of financial aid.
Follow the walkthrough below for some tips as you fill out your FAFSA form.
Logging in to FAFSA
Start by navigating to FAFSA’s website, where you can either create an account or log in. Once you’ve done that, you can start or continue your FAFSA form from the main page.
It then asks you whether you, the student, or your parent will start the form. Goslinga recommends that you begin, which is the most streamlined way to take on the process. Next, the FAFSA form provides you with some videos to answer common questions.
After that, the form asks you questions about personal, contact and residential information. Either confirm it’s correct or fill in the data as needed.
Finally, you’ll come to a big page of text. This page is where you give consent for the IRS to disclose federal tax information to help you complete the FAFSA form. You must hit “approve” on this page to be considered eligible for federal student aid.
Once you give your consent, FAFSA will import financial information from your 2024 tax return.
Pro Tip: When you create an account, make sure you keep your FSA ID and password somewhere safe, either in a digital or physical record. You use this account to submit your FAFSA each year.
Section one – Personal circumstances
The first section of FAFSA includes questions about your personal circumstances, which determines the types of federal student aid you’re eligible for.
The questions will ask for information like your marital status, background and other unusual circumstances. It uses that to determine whether you’re considered an independent or dependent student.
If you’re considered a dependent student, meaning you rely on a parent for financial support, then they must contribute to your FAFSA form.
Section two – Demographics
The next section asks you demographic questions about your identity and family circumstances. These questions do not affect your student aid eligibility. This information is only used for research purposes.
Section four – Finances
When you start this section, have your 2024 tax return and other personal financial information handy! You need that information about the following questions.
If you did not work or file taxes in 2024 enter the number 0 on any questions about your tax return, which indicates that those questions do not apply.
The form also asks questions about your personal assets, like money in checking accounts or the net worth of your investments. Enter your personal assets, not your parents’. If you are a dependent, they will submit that information on their own form.
Section four – Colleges and career schools
In this section, indicate which colleges and career schools should receive your FAFSA information. You can select colleges through a school code, if you have it, or by location.
You can add up to 20 schools to this list. Even if you’re not certain if you’ll apply to a school, you should include it. You can also add or remove schools after submitting FAFSA.
Section five – Invite a parent as a contributor
If you are a dependent student, you need to invite a legal parent as a contributor on the form. A legal parent, for FAFSA, is either a biological or adoptive one.
If you’re not certain who counts, the form links to a tool that helps you figure out who should participate in your FAFSA form.
Enter your parents’ email to invite them. You only need to invite one parent. They can invite another contributor if needed.
Pro Tip: Everyone who fills out a section of your FAFSA form needs their own account.
Section six – Sign and submit
Before you sign your FAFSA form, you have an opportunity to review your answers. Take your time and make sure everything is correct!
Once you confirm everything is correct, continue to the final page. There, you can sign to confirm that the form is accurate. Make sure you read and understand everything before you sign!
And you’re all done! Once your contributor completes their section, they can submit your form. You can track the status of your FAFSA form through your account on the FAFSA website.
The Department of Education should process your form within a few days. Once it’s processed, you’ll get an email with your Student Aid Index and a summary of the information provided. It will also send the form to the schools you selected.
Learn more about financial aid on Pacific’s financial aid website.