{"id":6565,"date":"2026-11-04T16:58:54","date_gmt":"2026-11-05T00:58:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/?p=6565"},"modified":"2026-11-04T16:58:55","modified_gmt":"2026-11-05T00:58:55","slug":"why-is-the-fafsa-important","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/","title":{"rendered":"Why is the FAFSA important?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"nv-iframe-embed\"><iframe title=\"How to Fill Out the 2027-28 FAFSA: Step-by-Step for Students &amp; Parents\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/j5KZFe23E_g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If college is in your future, <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\">filling out the FAFSA<\/a> should be one of the first steps in figuring out how you will pay for it.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By submitting it, you provide information that colleges and government agencies can use to determine whether you qualify for financial aid, including grants, Federal Work-Study, federal student loans, and some state, institutional and scholarship aid.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why is the FAFSA important if you are not sure if you will qualify for financial aid? Completing it can give you a much clearer picture of what college may actually cost and help you keep more options open.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhat I most want students and families to understand is that filing the FAFSA is really about keeping their options open,\u201d said Kaitlyn Goslinga, senior assistant director of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/financial-aid\">financial aid, financial wellness and outreach<\/a> at University of the Pacific. \u201cI think of it as equal parts opportunity, investment and insurance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who should fill out the FAFSA?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most students who want to be considered for federal, state or college financial aid should complete the FAFSA. Generally, to qualify for federal student aid, you must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen and be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an eligible degree or certificate program. Other eligibility requirements may apply depending on the type of aid, but there is no income cutoff for federal student aid.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That means it is generally worth completing the FAFSA even if you do not think you will qualify for need-based financial aid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One common misconception is that the FAFSA is only useful for students from lower-income families.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI have personally sat across the desk from families who were convinced their income was too high to qualify, and they surprisingly were offered additional aid,\u201d Goslinga said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Completing the FAFSA also gives financial aid offices information they can use if your family\u2019s circumstances change. A job loss, divorce, death in the family or another significant financial change could affect your ability to pay for college.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFiling the FAFSA does not guarantee additional aid, but it can help preserve options and make it easier for a family to seek support if their circumstances change,\u201d she said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The FAFSA is not only for traditional dependent undergraduate students. Independent students can apply without parent information, although some married students may need information from a spouse. Graduate and professional students should complete it to determine eligibility for federal student loans and other potential aid. Part-time students may also qualify for some forms of aid, although eligibility can depend on enrollment status.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For dependent undergraduate students, a parent may need to participate as a FAFSA contributor by providing information, consent and a signature. Each contributor needs their own StudentAid.gov account.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not everyone uses the FAFSA. Undocumented students in California, for example, should determine whether they are eligible to complete the <a href=\"https:\/\/dream.csac.ca.gov\/landing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California Dream Act Application<\/a> instead. International students who are not U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens generally are not eligible for federal student aid, although colleges may have other financial aid opportunities available to them.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How does FAFSA help you understand the real cost of college?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The price listed on a college website does not necessarily tell you what you will actually pay.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Colleges use FAFSA information to help determine the financial aid they may offer you. Once that aid is taken into account, you can get a better sense of your net price, or the amount you may need to cover after grants and scholarships.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This becomes especially important when you are comparing colleges.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cStudents and families should look beyond both the sticker price and the total dollar amount of the financial aid offer,\u201d Goslinga said. \u201cA larger aid offer does not necessarily mean a college will cost less.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, one college could offer a larger amount of aid but include significantly more loans. Another could offer less total aid but more grants or scholarships that do not have to be repaid.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When comparing financial aid offers, consider the total cost of attendance at each school, grants and scholarships, loans, Federal Work-Study and expenses such as housing, books and transportation. Also check whether scholarships are renewable and what requirements you must meet to keep them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rather than simply asking which college offered you the most aid, the goal is to understand what each option may actually cost you.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What types of financial aid can you get through FAFSA?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Completing the FAFSA may help determine your eligibility for several types of financial aid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Federal grants:<\/strong> Grants generally do not have to be repaid. One of the best-known is the Federal Pell Grant, which is awarded to eligible undergraduate students with financial need. Your FAFSA information is used to determine whether you may qualify for a Pell Grant and other federal grant programs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Federal student loans:<\/strong> Depending on your eligibility, undergraduate students may be offered Direct Subsidized Loans, Direct Unsubsidized Loans or both. Graduate and professional students may also use the FAFSA to determine eligibility for Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Unlike grants and scholarships, loans must be repaid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Federal Work-Study: <\/strong>Eligible students can earn money through part-time employment while attending college. A work-study award does not guarantee a job, and students generally still need to search and apply for available positions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>State aid:<\/strong> States also use FAFSA information to determine eligibility for certain financial aid programs. Deadlines and requirements vary, so California students should check out current requirements and deadlines through the California State Aid Commission.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>College grants and scholarships: <\/strong>Colleges may use FAFSA information when awarding their own need-based grants, scholarships or other institutional aid. Some outside scholarship providers may consider FAFSA information as well.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since each college reviews your FAFSA individually, your financial aid offers can look different from school to school. There is also no universal format for an aid offer, so pay attention to what is a grant or scholarship, what must be repaid and what costs remain uncovered.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more information, read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2025\/03\/27\/financial-aid-fafsa-work-study-college-affordable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Financial Aid 101: FAFSA, Work-Study and More<\/a> or explore <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2025\/03\/21\/busting-fafsa-myths-securing-your-financial-aid\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">common FAFSA myths<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">When should you fill out the FAFSA?&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">File the FAFSA as early as you reasonably can. The FAFSA typically becomes available Oct. 1 for the upcoming academic year, so it is a good idea to start prepping early.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before you begin, make sure you select the FAFSA form for the academic year when you plan to attend college. FAFSA application periods can overlap, meaning more than one form may be available at the same time. For example, the 2027-29 FAFSA is for students seeking aid for attendance between July 1, 2027 and June 30, 2028, while the 2026-27 FAFSA applies to the previous academic year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Federal, state and individual college deadlines can differ, and some forms of financial aid have limited funding.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cFile your FAFSA as soon as possible when it opens, even if you haven\u2019t applied yet to some of the schools you may send it to,\u201d Goslinga said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can list colleges you are considering on your FAFSA even if you have not finished or submitted an application for admission to every school yet. Waiting too long could mean missing state or college priority deadlines or losing access to limited aid that has already been awarded to other eligible students.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Check out the financial aid website for every college you are considering and make note of its deadlines rather than relying on a single national date.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What happens after you submit the FAFSA?&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submitting your FAFSA is an important milestone, but it is not the end of the financial aid process.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After your form is processed, review your FAFSA Submission Summary for accuracy and keep checking the email address you used on your applications and your college student portals. Colleges may ask you to provide additional information or documentation before they can finalize your financial aid offer and if something requires action, respond as soon as you can.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne of the biggest things I wish students understood is that completing the FAFSA does not mean the financial aid process is finished,\u201d Goslinga said.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Students should also take ownership of the process themselves. Parents and other contributors may help complete required sections of the FAFSA, but students should know which colleges are receiving their information, respond to requests for information and carefully review their financial aid offers.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Filling out the FAFSA can give you more college options&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, why is FAFSA important? Because knowing what financial aid is available can change your understanding of what college will actually cost.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Completing the FAFSA can help you access federal and state aid, identify potential college-based assistance and compare schools based on what they may actually cost rather than sticker price alone.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if you are not sure you will qualify, submitting the FAFSA lets financial aid experts make that determination instead of ruling yourself out before you begin.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ready to get started? <a href=\"https:\/\/studentaid.gov\/h\/apply-for-aid\/fafsa\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fill out the FAFSA today<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If college is in your future, filling out the FAFSA should be one of the first steps in figuring out how you will pay for it.&nbsp;&nbsp; FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By submitting it, you provide information that colleges and government agencies can use to determine whether you qualify for financial&hellip;&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Read More &raquo;<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Why is the FAFSA important?<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6607,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[427],"tags":[519,24],"class_list":["post-6565","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-apply","tag-application-advice","tag-financial-aid"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Why is the FAFSA important? - People of Pacific<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why is the FAFSA important? - People of Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If college is in your future, filling out the FAFSA should be one of the first steps in figuring out how you will pay for it.&nbsp;&nbsp; FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By submitting it, you provide information that colleges and government agencies can use to determine whether you qualify for financial&hellip;&nbsp;Read More &raquo;Why is the FAFSA important?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"People of Pacific\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-05T00:58:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-05T00:58:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RS122116_Sophie-Student-Life-Photos-16-scaled.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pacific Blog\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pacific Blog\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Pacific Blog\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/live-peopleofpacific.pantheonsite.io\/#\/schema\/person\/94f9639563569c45624978a068cfc289\"},\"headline\":\"Why is the FAFSA important?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-05T00:58:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-05T00:58:55+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\"},\"wordCount\":1553,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/live-peopleofpacific.pantheonsite.io\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/RS122116_Sophie-Student-Life-Photos-16-scaled.jpeg?fit=2560%2C1707&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Application Advice\",\"Financial Aid\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Apply\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.pacific.edu\/blog\/2026\/11\/04\/why-is-the-fafsa-important\/\",\"name\":\"Why is the FAFSA important? 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