- Start by going to the website studentaid.gov
- Click on the Start Here button to complete a FAFSA
- If you’re a student, select I am the student
- Enter your FSA ID login credentials
- Click the Next button
- Read the disclaimer and hit Accept
- Select which Year of the FAFSA form you want to fill out
- If you are unsure which FAFSA year applies to the term in which you are planning to attend, please contact the CCAC Financial Aid office for assistance - Financial Aid Contact Information
- The FAFSA becomes available each year on October 1st
- Make a save key — an important temporary password that you and your parents can use to log in to your application. It also allows you to log back in and pick up where you left off, if you need to take a break
- Click the Next button
- Review the FAFSA Introduction
- Click the Next button
SAVE YOUR WORK
At the top of the each page, you can save your information. You can take a break and not lose the progress you have already made.NEED HELP?
At the end of each line item is a ? symbol. By clicking on the ? symbol you will find additional information about each question.
If you are still unsure, contact the CCAC Financial Aid Office for assistance.
Below are sections you will be asked to fill out, some sections may not be available to you depending on the way you answer previous questions
Student Demographic Section Questions- This section will enter information about “YOU”
- Because the FAFSA belongs to the student, "you" and "your" always (unless otherwise noted) refer to the student
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Student Demographic Information
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Enter your Personal Demographic Information
- Click the Next button
- Enter Student Email and Phone Number
Use an EMAIL address you check and have access to OFTEN - Click the Next button
- Enter your Mailing Address
- Click the Next button
- Enter “Yes” or “No” to indicate if you were considered a Pennsylvania resident for at least 5 years
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Select your residency status using the drop-down box
- Yes, I am a U.S. Citizen (or U.S. National)
- No, but I am an eligible noncitizen (Enter your Alien Registration Number)
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No, I am not a citizen or eligible noncitizen - if you are in the U.S and have:
- Been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
- F1 or F2 student visa
- J1 or J2 exchange visitor visa
- A G series visa
- Other categories not included under U.S citizen and eligible noncitizen
- Click the Next button
High School Completion Status
- Enter your High School Completion Status on your FAFSA
Select the answer that describes your high school completion status:
"High school diploma” - means you have received or will receive a U.S. high school diploma, or a foreign school diploma that’s equivalent to a U.S. high school diploma before the first date of your enrollment in a college or career school.
“GED certificate or state authorized high school equivalent certificate” - means you have received or will receive a General Educational Development (GED) certificate, or state authorized high school equivalent certificate before the first date of your enrollment in a college or career school. A state authorized high school equivalent certificate is a certificate that the issuing state recognizes as the equivalent of a high school diploma in that state. Note: A high school certificate of attendance and/or a certificate of completion are NOT the equivalent of a high school diploma.
“Home schooled” - means you’ve completed home schooling at the secondary level regulated by your state.
“None of the above” -means you don’t have a high school diploma, GED, or equivalent, and didn’t complete secondary school in a home school setting.
College Grade Level and Type of Degree
- What degree or certificate will you be working on when you begin the XXXX-XXXX school year?
- Select YES or NO if you have a bachelor’s degree PRIOR TO the school year you are completing the FAFSA for?
- What will your college grade level be when you begin the XXXX-XXXX school year?
• “Grade Level” does not mean the number of years you have attended college but refers to the grade level in regard to the number of credit(s) you have completed.
Work Study Interest
- Choose Yes or No if you are interested in Work-Study on the FAFSA.
The Federal Work-study Program provides jobs for undergraduate students with financial need, allowing them to earn money to help pay educational expenses.
This question only serves to alert CCAC that you may be interested in work-study
It is not required to be marked YES on the FAFSA to be considered for work-study
If you marked NO or Don’t know on the FAFSA, there is no need to change your answer - Click the Next button
Selective Service
- Choose Male or Female
- Click the Next button
Foster Care and Parent Education Information
- Indicate if you were or at any time in the foster care system?
- Select “Yes” if you’re a foster youth or were at any time in the foster care system
- You may be asked to provide proof by the school
- Select “No” if you
- If aren’t a foster youth, or weren’t at any time in the foster care system
- If you’re not sure if you were in foster care, check with your state child welfare agency
- Select “Yes” if you’re a foster youth or were at any time in the foster care system
- Select Parent Educational Information using the drop-down box
Select the answer that best describes your parent’s highest level of education completed
3. Click the Next Button
School Selection Section Questions
High School Selection
- Enter the complete name of your high school
2. Enter the city that your high school is located
3. Select the state that your high school is located in the drop-down box
6. Click the Next button
4. Select “Confirm” rather than “Next” in order to identify your high school5. Click the Select button next to your correct high school on the left hand side
Searching and Adding College School Codes
- Answer “Yes” - Do you know the college’s Federal School Code?
- Enter “003231” for CCAC’s Federal School Code
- Click the Search button
- Click on the box next to Community College of Allegheny County
- Click the Next button
- Select a Housing Plan(use the drop-down box)
• With Parent
• Off Campus
• On Campus - CCAC does not have On-Campus housing7. Click the Next button
Dependency Status Questions
Student Marital Status and Household Size
- Enter your Current marital status on the Dependency Status section of the FAFSA
If you are married, separated, or divorced, please make sure to enter a date
- Click the Next button
- Read the following questions carefully and answer regarding your dependents
- Click the Next button
- Fill in the number of dependents, if you indicated you are supporting someone other than a spouse during the dates listed on the FAFSA
This should be the number of children (even if they don’t live with you) who will receive more than half of their support from you (and if married, your spouse). You can include any unborn children if they will be born during the award year
(Grayed out areas are pre-populated or calculated based on prior information provided) -
List the number of students in college
Include
Yourself even if you’ll attend college less than half-time in 2021–22; and
Other people in your household only if they’ll attend college, at least half-time in the year you are seeking aid, in a program that leads to a college degree or certificate
-
Click the Next button
Independent Student Information
Independent Student Determination and Financial Information (including DRT information)
- Mark YES OR NO to answering questions about your parents
(Answering these questions won’t affect your eligibility for federal student aid, such as a Federal Pell Grant) - Click the Next button
- Use the drop-down box to select if you have already completed, plan to (will) file, or not filing a tax return for the year requested
- Enter what Type of IRS income tax return you filed using the drop-down box
- Enter what Filing Status you used for that tax year using the drop-down box
- Once you have entered your information for the indicated year using the dropdown box, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) Box will appear
- Once you have entered your information for the indicated year using the dropdown box, the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) Box will appear
- Read the IRS DRT Statement that has been created based on the information you provided about your:
- Marital Status (enter earlier in the FAFSA)
- Tax Completion Status
- Type of Tax Return Filed
-
DRT Tool Available – Student
- Click Link to the IRS button
- Click the Proceed To IRS Site button
- Click the Ok button
- Click on the Ok button
- Review prepopulated fields and Fill In Blank Required fields
Enter your address information exactly as it would have appeared on your tax return when it was filed
Example: If you used Main Street when you filed, you cannot substitute Main St. or Main
- Click the Submit button
- Click the box next to Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA Form
- Congratulations! You have successfully transferred your tax information from the IRS
- Click the Next button to continue
If you would like more information on the DRT Tool, visit IRS DRT InformationDRT Tool Not Available – Student
- Click the Next button
- Fill in the information requested based on the tax return filed
- Each question has a "?" symbol on the right hand side which contains an explanation of what is being asked and where to find it on the tax return
- Click the Next button
- Enter your Adjusted Gross Income (unless Transferred from IRS)
- Click the Next button
- Fill in your (and spouses') income from working (salaries, wages, tips, etc.)
- Click the Next button
- Indicate by marking Yes, No, or Don’t Know about filing a Schedule 1
- Generally, taxpayers file a Schedule 1 to report income or adjustments to income that can’t be entered directly on Form 1040 such as unemployment, education expenses, IRA deduction, and student loan interest deduction
If you mark YES, to the Schedule 1 question, you will be prompted to answer some additional questions
- Mark Yes if you completed a Schedule 1
- Click the Next button
- Indicate mark Yes, No, or I Don’t know if you (or spouse) is a Dislocated Worker
- If you indicate NO, mark the boxes that pertain to your past or current situation
- Click the Next button
- Enter your income tax (unless Transferred from IRS)
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records AND personal circumstances
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Mark Yes or No to completing the Additional Asset questions
- If you decide to bypass these questions, CCAC may require answers to these questions to determine your eligibility for college aid after receiving the results
Asset Information
- Enter the requested values about your assets
- Click the Next button
- Click the Next button
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Panel title
Panel content
Dependent Student Information
Parent Demographics
- Enter your Parent(s) marital status
If your parent(s) were Never Married, Divorced/Separated:
Choose the parent that you lived with most during the last 12 months. If you did not live with one parent more than the other, provide information about the parent who provided more financial support during the last 12 months, or during the most recent year that you actually received support from a parent.Explanation of Parent Marital Status Options
- Never Married
- Select which parent information will be provided
- Unmarried and legal parents living together
- Married or Remarried
- Enter the date your parents got married or remarried
- Divorced or Separate
- Enter the date your parent became divorced or separated
- Select which parent information will be provided
- Enter the date your parent became divorced or separated
- Widowed
- Enter the date your parent became widowed
- Select which parent information will be provided
- Never Married
- Click the Next button
- Enter 1st parent information
- Click the Next button
- Enter 2nd parent information, if applicable
- Click the Next button
- Click YES OR NO if your parent(s) have lived in PA for at least 5 years
- If the answer NO to this question, it may prompt PHEAA to require more information from the student to determine if the student meets their PA domicile regulations. This is between the student and PHEAA to rectify, it doesn’t have any bearing on how CCAC is charging the student.
If your parents haven't been Pennsylvania residents for at least 5 years
- Use the drop-down box to list your parent(s) legal state of residence
- Mark Yes or No if they became of legal resident by the date provided
- If No, mark the month and year (MM/YYYY) for your parent who has lived in the state the longest
- Click the Next button
- If the answer NO to this question, it may prompt PHEAA to require more information from the student to determine if the student meets their PA domicile regulations. This is between the student and PHEAA to rectify, it doesn’t have any bearing on how CCAC is charging the student.
- Fill in the number of dependents, if you indicated your parent(s) are supporting someone other than a spouse and you during the dates listed on the FAFSA
- The number of children (even if they don’t live with you) who will receive more than half of their support from your parent(s) (and if married, your spouse). You can include any unborn children if they will be born during the award year. DO NOT COUNT CHILDREN THAT ARE CONSIDERED TO BE INDEPENDENT BASED ON FAFSA DEPENDENCY STANDARDS
- Grayed out areas are pre-populated or calculated based on your previous answers.
- Enter the number of people in college. You should include yourself for at least 1 in college.
- DO NOT INCLUDE YOUR PARENTS
- Click the Next button
- You will move on to complete the Parent Financial Section
Parent Financials (including DRT information)
- Use the drop-down box to indicate your parent(s) tax return completion status for the tax year noted on the FAFSA
- Click the Next button
- Use the drop-down box to select what type of tax return your parent(s) filed
- Use the drop-down box to select what type of filing status tax return your parent(s) filed
- Click the Next button
Parent DRT Tool Available
Click the Link To IRS button
Click the Next button
- Select Parent 1 or Parent 2 - iyou will have this option if you listed both parents information on prior questions
- Enter the parent FSA ID and Password
- Click the Next button
- Click on Proceed to the IRS Site button
- Click the Ok button
- Click the Ok button
- Fill in the items marked that are left blank
- Click on the Submit button
- Click the box next to Transfer My Tax Information into the FAFSA form
- Click the Transfer Now button
- Make sure your you receive a Successful Transfer Notice
If you would like more information on the DRT Tool, visit https://finaid.org/fafsa/irsdataretrievaltool/
Parent DRT tool NOT Available
- Click the Next button
- Fill in the information requested based on the tax return filed
- Each question has a "?" symbol on the right hand side which contains an explanation of what is being asked and where to find it on the tax return
- Click the Next Button
- Select Parent 1 or Parent 2 - iyou will have this option if you listed both parents information on prior questions
- Enter your parent(s) Adjusted Gross Income (unless Transferred from IRS)
- Click the Next button
- Fill in your parent(s) income from working (salaries, wages, tips, etc.)
- Click the Next button
- Enter your income tax (unless Transferred from IRS)
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records
- Click the Next button
- List the values requested according to your tax records AND personal circumstances
- Click the Next button
- Enter the requested values about your assets
- Click the Next button
- You will move to the next section
Signing and Submitting
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Enter your Personal Demographic Information
- Indicate if you are a preparer. (A preparer is NOT needed to complete the FAFSA)
- A preparer is anyone who charges a fee for helping you fill out your FAFSA
- If you’re a student filling out your own FAFSAform OR a relative or friend helping a student complete his or her form for free, then you’re NOT a preparer.
- Click the Next button
- Review your FAFSA Summary Information and click the Next button
- You may print this page for your records at the bottom of the page
- Read and Scroll to the BOTTOM of the "Read before Proceeding" section
- Click the Agree button
- Click the Next button
- Click Sign this FAFSA
- Click the Next button
- Click the Submit My FAFSA Now button
- Congratulations!!! Keep the Confirmation Page for your records!