Federal Student Aid (2024)

FAQs

Federal Student Aid? ›

Through Federal Student Aid (a performance-based organization), the U.S. Department of Education awards more than $120 billion a year in grants, work-study funds, and low-interest loans to approximately 13 million students.

Through Federal Student Aid (a performance-based organization), the U.S. Department of Education awards more than $120 billion a year in grants, work-study funds, and low-interest loans to approximately 13 million students.

You can also check the status of your FAFSA form by contacting the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1-800-433-3243. To check on the status of financial aid being disbursed (paid out) to you or your account, check with your school's financial aid office.

To see your aid, log in to your StudentAid.gov account using your account username and password (FSA ID). Learn more about possible reasons why your StudentAid.gov account is missing loan or grant info.

Log in at fafsa.gov to apply online.

However, federal student loans received through your FAFSA do have to be repaid with interest after you graduate or leave school. It's essential to understand the types of aid included in your financial aid award letter.

To receive federal student aid, you'll need to… to obtain a college, career school, or trade school education, either by having a high school diploma or equivalent, by completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law, or by meeting the criteria for an ability-to-benefit alternative.

Does FAFSA Check Your Bank Accounts? FAFSA doesn't check anything, because it's a form. However, the form does require you to complete some information about your assets, including checking and savings accounts.

Is FAFSA for everyone? ›

Eligibility Requirements. Our general eligibility requirements include that you have financial need for need-based aid, are a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen, and are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program at an eligible college or career/trade school.

What Are the FAFSA Income Limits for 2024? Both students and their parents often think their household income makes them ineligible for financial aid. However, there's no income limit for the FAFSA, and the U.S. Department of Education does not have an income cap for federal financial aid.

You need to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form only once per year, but the federal government, your state government, and your school have different dates by which you must do so to be eligible for each of their aid programs.

In the United States, federal assistance, also known as federal aid, federal benefits, or federal funds, is defined as any federal program, project, service, or activity provided by the federal government that directly assists domestic governments, organizations, or individuals in the areas of education, health, public ...

The FAFSA is an application that the federal government uses to gather the financial information it needs to assess what loans and grants you qualify for. The FAFSA needs to be completed each new aid year to determine eligibility for federal student aid.

A federal student loan is a type of loan provided by the U.S. government to eligible students or their parents/guardians to help cover the cost of higher education. Since funds are distributed directly from the government, they are a dependable option for financing education.

Financial aid is either money that doesn't need to be paid back, known as gift aid, or earned through a federal work-study program. Student loans must be repaid within a given loan term. Not only are students expected to pay back student loans, but there's typically interest that accrues over the life of the loan.