Application Process

What you need to know about the financial aid process

Learn about federal student aid programs and what's available to you. You can use FAFSA4caster to increase your knowledge of the financial aid process; become familiar with the various types of federal student aid that are available; and investigate other sources of aid, such as grants and scholarships. You can also find out about our programs in detail from one of our publications, Funding Education Beyond High School: The Guide to Federal Student Aid. The guide tells you almost everything you need to know about federal student aid, as well as other means of paying for your education after high school. Take what we say to heart... and then take it to the next step.

The FSA ID is a username and password combination serves as a student's or parent's identifier to allow access to personal information in various U.S. Department of Education systems. Usernames and passwords can be used to apply for aid on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), make corrections to your application information, and more - and must be used to log in to certain U.S. Department of Education websites. If you do not already have an FSA ID, you can create one when logging into Filling Out the FAFSA.

Financial Aid Forecaster - FAFSA4caster The FAFSA4caster provides students with an early estimate of their eligibility for federal student financial assistance. Students considering furthering their education beyond high school can use this FREE tool to:

• Calculate their eligibility for federal financial aid, including grants
• Reduce the time it will take to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®), the qualifying form for all federal student financial aid

Apply for Aid - FAFSA

Apply

This step is where many deserving students falter, either because they assume they won't qualify or because the FAFSA® may seem complex and difficult to complete. FAFSA4caster provides an opportunity for you to become familiar with many of the questions that are asked on the FAFSA, and you can use the FAFSA4caster to practice answering the questions online.

When to file the FAFSA®

File each year as soon as possible after January 1 for the upcoming academic year. If you have not completed your tax return, you may estimate on the FAFSA® and make corrections later

The FAFSA® website has many resources to help you file the form correctly. Using the online application is significantly faster and more accurate than using the paper application

When you're ready to file the FAFSA® use the online version, which streamlines the application process considerably. Remember, it's a good idea to apply. You may be surprised by the amount of aid for which you qualify.

**CSUSB's School Code is 001142. Enter this number on the FAFSA® where indicated on the application.