The Free Application for Federal Student Aid(FAFSA) serves as an application for the Pell Grant, Federal Work-Study, Federal Direct Loans, State Scholarships, State Grants and some UNG Foundation Scholarships. The FAFSA must be completed once every academic year.
The standard academic year consists of Fall, Spring and Summer semesters. It is highly recommended that students complete the FAFSA as soon as tax returns have been completed.
Congress passed the FAFSA Simplification Act to streamline the financial aid process for students and families. As a result, many families may see an increase in financial aid eligibility.
The Department of Education has changed how it calculates Pell Grant funding. It is expected more students will qualify for Pell starting Fall 2024. We encourage every student to complete a FAFSA to see if they will now qualify for this funding even if they did not in previous years.
The new 2024-2025 FAFSA has reduced the number of questions significantly to make it easier for families to complete. In addition, if your parent(s) filed taxes, the information will automatically be transferred if you are a dependent student as well as yours if you filed.
Which parent income to report for students whose parents are separated or divorced has changed. If you are listed on one of your parent’s tax returns as a dependent, then that is the information you will be using. There will also be a “parent wizard” that will help students select the correct parent by answering a few questions.
Both you and your parent need an FSA ID to complete the FAFSA. Before you could complete the FAFSA by yourself and only your parent needed to sign at the end. The new FAFSA will have you and your parent (if dependent) log in to complete their respective sections.
Absolutely! Prior to the 2024-2025 FAFSA, individuals without a Social Security number were unable to create an FSA ID. Starting with the release of the 2024-2025 FAFSA, individuals without a Social Security number will be able to create an FSA ID to sign their students FAFSA. When completing the FAFSA, you will have an opportunity to add your parent contact information and they will be sent a link to complete the process.
The Federal Pell Grant Program provides need-based grants to low-income undergraduate students to promote access to postsecondary education. Grant amounts are dependent on: the Student Aid Index (SAI) as determined by the FAFSA); the cost of attendance (as determined by the institution); the student's enrollment status (full-time or part-time); and whether the student attends for a full academic year or less.
Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) Program
FSEOG Program provides need-based grants to help low-income undergraduate students finance the costs of postsecondary education. When making FSEOG awards, the institution must give priority to those students with “exceptional need” (those at the institution with the lowest Student Aid Index, or SAI as determined by the FAFSA) and those who are also Federal Pell Grant recipients. Students are awarded based on the availability of funds at the time financial aid awards are packaged.
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher (TEACH) Education Grant
Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher (TEACH) Education Grant is designed for students who intend to teach full time in a high-need field at a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families. Students who receive the TEACH Grant must fulfill a service obligation.
If a student does not complete the service obligation, all TEACH Grant funds received will be converted to a Direct Unsubsidized Loan.