FAFSA — the single door to federal student aid (20 U.S.C. § 1090)

What this actually is

The FAFSA is not aid. It is the one form that decides whether you get aid, and by statute it is free. 20 U.S.C. § 1090 requires the Secretary of Education to produce a single common form and states that "no parent or student shall be charged a fee by the Secretary, a contractor, a third-party servicer or private software provider, or any other public or private entity for the collection, processing, or delivery of Federal financial aid through the use of such application." The same section provides that eligibility for federal aid may be determined ONLY by using the FAFSA. So any site charging to file it, or promising to find you aid the FAFSA cannot, is selling you something the law says is free. One form opens Pell, FSEOG, Work-Study, federal loans, and most state and school aid.

Who qualifies, and what trips people up

Everyone applying for federal student aid files it, and filing it is how you find out whether you qualify — do not self-disqualify on a guess about income. The form is available from October 1 before the enrolment year and must be offered in multiple languages and accessible formats. States and schools may not demand an additional financial form as a condition of packaging your federal aid. File early: state and school funds are often first-come.