FAFSA information
Students can file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Oct. 1 at FAFSA.gov.
For students enrolling in the fall of 2026, families will report income information from 2024.
Items to consider in preparation for the FAFSA
- The student and at least one parent must register to receive an FSA ID. Although families may apply for an FSA ID at the time they complete the FAFSA, Augustana encourages applying earlier. The FSA ID is used to electronically sign the FAFSA.
- Augustana's preferred filing date is no later than Nov. 15 for FAFSA completion. The college recommends students complete the FAFSA as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
What is the FAFSA and why is it important for college-bound high school students?
It’s the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it’s necessary to fill it out to get federal, state, and institutional need-based financial aid.
How long does it take to complete the FAFSA? Do students do it on their own or with parents?
It can take about an hour for a family to complete the FAFSA for the first time. Students and parents log in to studentaid.gov separately to complete their own sections of the form.
When should a student complete the FAFSA?
High school seniors can begin filing their FAFSA on Oct. 1, when the application is launched on studentaid.gov. To be notified when the FAFSA is available, create your username and password on studentaid.gov now, and opt in for text alerts. Students will need to submit the FAFSA for every year they attend college.
How can families get help filing the FAFSA?
A good source of online help is studentaid.gov. Start by clicking the green owl in the bottom right of the screen. It is a chat bot that will help you find the answers to your questions.
Augustana’s financial aid office is happy to help families through this process and answer questions as needed. Just email financialaid@augustana.edu.
I've heard there are significant changes to FAFSA this year. What should people be aware of?
Parents should be aware that if their tax information is automatically imported into the form, then their family size will be based on the number of people on the 2024 IRS 1040. The FAFSA will ask if the parent needs to manually update their family size. If all people that are financially supported by the household are not listed on the tax return, the parent will need to manually update their family size. Sometimes this is the case if there is an older child attending college that is no longer being claimed on the parent's tax return, but is still receiving the majority of their financial support from the parents.