The FAFSA Deadline Act (H.R. 8932), signed into law on December 11, 2024, requires the Department of Education to make the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) available by October 1 each year.
Steps for Success
Start Here - Video
Step 1 | Get a FSA ID from the federal web site. Students and parents of dependent students must have their own individual FSA ID.
Step 2 | Complete your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
- This application is free and can be completed online at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa.
- This information will be submitted to the Department of Education.
- You will need Davenport's school code if you wish to have your FAFSA information sent to our Financial Aid Office; Davenport's school code is 002249.
- The Department of Education will then determine your EFC (Expected Family Contribution), which determines your eligibility for various federal and state financial aid programs and for Davenport scholarships.
Step 3 | Review your Student Aid Report (SAR) and make corrections if needed.
Step 4 | Review your status on the Davenportal and review all communication and submit any requests for additional information if required.
Step 5 | If you are selected for Verification, be sure to send in the requested information quickly.
Step 6 | Review your award letter on the Davenportal.
Step 7 | If you requested Stafford Loans, you may need to complete Entrance Loan Counseling and a Master Promissory Note (review the loan section under Types of Aid for additional information).
Step 8 | If your Parents have applied for a PLUS loan, they will also need to complete a Master Promissory Note and a PLUS request form for processing.
You are required to complete a FAFSA every year. Check out our page on FAFSA Renewal for the annual process and timeline.
Get the FAFSA Right, from the Get-go.
Don't miss out on financial aid! Making an error can affect your eligibility for need-based aid. The errors can also delay the processing of your FAFSA at DU.
If the federal government finds any application errors (including incomplete or missing information), you will be notified in writing. You must respond quickly to each request. Awards cannot be made until all information is complete and accurate. When in doubt, call us right away. We can help.
MOST POPULAR PITFALLS
SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS
The federal government checks all social security numbers you enter on the FAFSA. Double-check the numbers! Scroll down this page to find out how resolve any social security number issues.
DIVORCED/REMARRIED PARENTAL INFO
If you have divorced parents, you should be including information for the parent that you live with the majority (more than 50%) of the time. If that parent is remarried you should also be including stepparent information. Check the FAFSA help section for more information about who is considered to be a "parent" for purposes of completing the FAFSA.
INCOME EARNED BY PARENTS/STEPPARENT
Be sure to use the actual adjusted gross income (AGI) from your tax form. Generally AGI is different from the total of income earned from work.
U.S. INCOME TAXES PAID
A common error is to input the amount of tax withheld for the year and not the amount of taxes you were held liable for. The FAFSA form will direct you to the specific line number on your Federal 1040 tax form. As a general reminder: the taxes paid are not the amount of your refund and are usually found on your tax form within a few lines of calculating your AGI minus deductions and exemptions.
HOUSEHOLD SIZE
Should be listed as everyone living in the household and is supported by yourself or your parent(s). This number can be different than the exemptions claimed on the tax return.
NUMBER OF HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS IN COLLEGE
For dependent students do not include your parent(s) in this total. See FAFSA for more details.
REAL ESTATE AND INVESTMENT NET WORTH
Do not include the value of the house in which you live. See FAFSA for detailed information on what should/shouldn’t be included in investment net worth.
SIGNATURES
Saving FAFSA data on the web does not mean that you have submitted the form. You must submit by signing your FAFSA with a PIN or printing and sending in the signature page. Dependent students need sign along with one parent. It’s also important to note that if you need to make a correction to an already processed FAFSA, you and, if required, your parent must resign the FAFSA.
“AS OF TODAY” QUESTIONS
These questions must be answered with data as of the date that you are submitting the FAFSA and cannot be updated once the FAFSA has been submitted for the year.
E-MAIL ADDRESS
Be certain to provide an accurate, up-to-date e-mail address on your FAFSA application. The Department of Education will be using e-mail to notify you of the results of your FAFSA application.
STUDENT AID REPORT (SAR)
Once your application is accepted and processed by the FAFSA processor, you will receive an acknowledgement.
TAX RETURNS
In order to ensure the accuracy of your application information, you may be required to forward a signed copy of your, and/or your parents' complete 2010 federal tax return(s) to the Davenport Financial Aid Office. A prompt response to this request will enable us to more quickly process your application. Awards will only be made when all required information is received, reviewed and found to be correct and accurate. This includes eligibility for all federal loan programs.
Did Not File Taxes
The IRS publishes income thresholds so that you may determine if you must file a tax return.
Additional FAFSA information
The FAFSA uses asset information in its calculation to determine aid eligibility. Listed below are items that are asked for on the FAFSA. If you have been requested to have additional assets reported you can complete the Asset Worksheet.
NET WORTH MEANS CURRENT VALUE MINUS DEBT. IF NET WORTH IS NEGATIVE, ENTER 0.
INVESTMENTS INCLUDE:
- real estate (do not include the home you live in)
- trust funds
- UGMA and UTMA accounts
- money market funds
- mutual funds
- certificates of deposit
- stocks
- stock options
- bonds
- other securities
- installment and land sale contracts (including mortgages held)
- commodities
- qualified educational benefits or education savings accounts (e.g., Coverdell savings accounts, 529 college savings plans and the refund value of 529 prepaid tuition plans).
FOR A STUDENT WHO DOES NOT REPORT PARENTAL INFORMATION:
The accounts owned by the student (and/or the student’s spouse) are reported as student investments in question 41.
FOR A STUDENT WHO MUST REPORT PARENTAL INFORMATION:
The accounts are reported as parental investments in question 89, including all accounts owned by the student and all accounts owned by the parents for any member of the household.
INVESTMENTS DO NOT INCLUDE:
- the home you live in
- the value of life insurance
- retirement plans (401[k] plans,pension funds, annuities, non-education IRAs, Keogh plans, etc.) or cash
- savings and checking accounts already reported in questions 40 and 88
- UGMA and UTMA accounts for which you are the custodian, but not the owner.
Investment value means the current balance or market value of these investments as of today. Investment debt means only those debts that are related to the investments.
BUSINESS AND/OR INVESTMENT FARM VALUE INCLUDES:
- the market value of land
- buildings
- machinery
- equipment
- inventory, etc.
Business and/or investment farm debt means only those debts for which the business or investment farm was used as collateral.
BUSINESS VALUE DOES NOT INCLUDE:
- the value of a small business if your family owns and controls more than 50 percent of the business and the business has 100 or fewer full-time or full-time equivalent employees.
FOR SMALL BUSINESS VALUE, YOUR FAMILY INCLUDES:
- persons directly related to you, such as a parent, sister or cousin, or
- persons who are or were related to you by marriage, such as a spouse, stepparent or sister-in-law.
Investment farm value does not include the value of a family farm that you (your spouse and/or your parents) live on and operate.
If you answered questions on the FAFSA indicating that you are a dislocated worker, the government might require additional paperwork. You can check on the Student Connection whether you need to submit documentation.
If you must provide information, please submit documentation of involuntary loss of employment for you and/or your spouse (Independent students) or your parent(s) (Dependent students). Documentation may include receipt of unemployment due to being laid off; self-employed but unemployed due to economy or natural disaster; or displaced homemaker (previously provided unpaid services to the family, if no longer supported by husband or wife, is unemployed or underemployed , and is having trouble finding or upgrading employment).
Please refer to our Special Considerations page if your current income is not properly reflected on your FAFSA and you would like to have your situation reviewed by the Financial Aid Office.
You must have a high school diploma, GED, or an equivalent, including Home Schooling, in order to receive financial aid. Do not leave this question blank.
Question 26 on the FAFSA is as follows:
When you begin college what will be your high school completion status? Which of the following did you complete?:
- High School Diploma. This means you have received or will receive a high school diploma before the date of your initial enrollment in college.
- General Educational Development (GED). This means you have received or will receive a GED diploma before the first date of your enrollment in college.
- Home Schooled. This means you have completed home schooling at the secondary level regulated by your state.
- None of the above. This means you do NOT have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent and did not complete secondary school in a home school setting.
IMPORTANT: When Will You Start College?
It is important that you answer this question thinking about when you will start college, NOT your status when you are filling out the form. So, for example, a current high school senior who will graduate in June and enroll at Davenport for the coming fall semester would answer question 26 as "1," having a high school diploma. This means that you will have graduated from high school before you enrolled at Davenport.
Do not leave this question blank! Even if you have been out of high school for awhile and are ready to go to college, you need to answer this question.
How do you know if you need to answer the question? You can check it yourself by logging in to your FAFSA on the Web. Check question 26.
In addition, Davenport's Financial Aid Office is sending an e-mail or letter to students letting them know if they need to make the correction.
If you want to check how you answered FAFSA question 26, go to http://www.fafsa.gov/. Click on "View and Print Your Student Aid Report" under Step 3 to view your responses to the entire FAFSA. If you did not answer question 26 correctly, you can make a correction using the same web site: www.fafsa.gov.
The federal government checks social security numbers entered on the FAFSA to confirm that the student is eligible to receive financial aid. If the government cannot match the information you provided on the FAFSA, you will receive a notice that you need to submit a copy of your social security card to the Davenport Financial Aid Office.
That notification indicates that according to Social Security Administration’s (SSA) records, the name you reported on your FAFSA does not correspond with the social security number you have on the SSA’s database. If the social security number on your FAFSA is not correct, you need to provide us with a copy of your social security card so that we can make a correction. We cannot continue processing your financial aid without a copy of your card. If the social security number on your FAFSA is correct, you need to contact your local Social Security Administration office to resolve the problem. When you receive documentation that your social security number is accurate, please forward it to the Financial Aid Office.
Your social security card might not reflect your married name. If that is the case, you need to request a name change with the Social Security Administration. We are unable to disburse any financial aid funds without the revised card or a copy of the letter from Social Security (which notes your social security number). Please send the documentation immediately to the Financial Aid Office so that processing can continue on your file.