THE FOLLOWING STEPS ARE NECESSARY TO COMPLETE FAFSA & TAP

1. A student must have an email address (gmail, yahoo and hotmail, among others, offer free email accounts). Please make sure your username and password is one you can remember.

2. Students and one parent must get a FSA ID at https://fsaid.ed.gov (2 separate FSA ID, both you and your parents will each need an ID). Your FSA ID allows you to sign your FAFSA electronically. You can also make corrections to your application once it’s filed, and access your student records online.

3. **Before starting an online application, you will need your parents’ income tax return(s) and other records of income and assets, social security numbers for both the student and parents, parents’ date of birth and marital status.

4. The online application is available at www.fafsa.ed.gov. This is the ONLY official website that students should go to. Anything that requires a fee is a scam.

5. Information requested on the FAFSA comes from the parent’ and students’ latest income tax returns (this year’s income tax return). If current year’s tax return has not been filed, you may use previous year’s tax return as a close estimate but will need to go back and correct the information once the current year’s tax has been filed.

6. Many of our students have living arrangements that do not seem to fit in with what the questions on the FAFSA are asking, for example. “I live with my aunt or brother, whose income should I use?” For these types of questions and any other trickier ones, refer to the cuny.edu website. This is one of the most valuable websites dealing with Financial Aid and is sensibly written.

7. Students also have to submit a TAP application in order to be eligible for additional New York State financial aid awards. After they complete an online FAFSA, they will be linked to the TAP application to complete additional information. You are only eligible for TAP if you plan to attend a college within New York State. Click Here.....

8. The Excelsior Scholarship, in combination with other student financial aid programs, allows eligible students to attend a SUNY or CUNY college tuition-free. Click here for eligibility information on the Excelsior Scholarship

9. The FAFSA application allows the student to put 10 schools where they want their information sent using the Federal/FAFSA Codes. The TAP application allows the student to put 1 school. It also requires the student to use the New York State/TAP Codes. Be sure that the school indicated on your TAP application is the one that you will be attending.

10. After your FAFSA is processed, you will be emailed a Student Aid Report (SAR) for the U.S. Department of Education within 2-3 weeks. This will be the information that will be sent to the colleges. Check for mistakes!!!

11. The U.S. Department of Education selects a certain number of applicants for verification process. If you have been selected, you will need to submit tax returns and other documents to your college.