Wondering how to start applying for financial aid? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is your first step! The FAFSA is required to apply for many types of financial aid, including all Federal Student Aid programs (such as Federal Pell Grants, Student Loans and Work Study), and some SEU grants and scholarships. Here’s what you need to know.
SEU’s code for FAFSA purposes is 001521.
Are you completing the FAFSA for the first time? Review these resources for some helpful tips to get started.
2024 FAFSA Next Steps
The FAFSA application has been undergoing extensive revisions and changes, which caused an extended delay in the ability for colleges to receive the tax and financial data that students submit. For more information, visit SEU.edu/FAFSA2024.
SEU has begun to receive and load the data from students who were able to successfully submit their FAFSA! Here’s what to do next based on your current status.
Need to
Submit
If you still need to complete your FAFSA, we strongly encourage you to do so now. Once you have submitted your FAFSA and we receive your data from the Department of Education, we will be able to send your personalized financial aid offer letter. Remember, SEU’s code for FAFSA purposes is 001521. See below to get started.
Corrections
Needed
If you submitted your FAFSA, but encountered issues with the form, or need to make updates or corrections, you now have the ability to go back into your application to make these adjustments.
Log in to your account at StudentAid.gov or visit this page for additional information. Be sure that SEU’s code, 001521, was included with your submission.
FAFSA
Submitted
If you submitted your FAFSA successfully and used SEU’s code, 001521, keep an eye on your mailbox; your personalized award letter will be sent as soon as we are able to evaluate the data once we have received it. Contact us at sfs@seu.edu with any questions. In the meantime, visit SEU.edu/viewyouroffer to get familiar with the components of this mailing.
Submitting the FAFSA
Changes to several components of the FAFSA application process began in 2023, which affected the 2024–2025 academic year. Each year’s FAFSA is based on the prior-prior year’s income information. Students (and parents as applicable) will report income information based on the information detailed below.
FAFSA Checklist
Here’s a checklist of everything you need to fill out the FAFSA.
- Your FSA ID
Do this first! You — and whichever parent(s) will be contributors on your FAFSA — must create a separate FSA ID by each creating an account on studentaid.gov. If an account already exists with your parent(s), they can check to make sure their login is working. You will need your own FSA ID. - Your and your parent’s Social Security numbers
These are necessary for submitting the form. If you’re not a U.S. Citizen but fall into one of the categories that make you eligible for federal financial aid, you’ll also need your A-Number. (If your parent doesn’t have a Social Security Number, that’s okay, just provide their mailing address.) - Driver’s license
If you have one, you’ll need to have it available. - SEU’s FAFSA Code, 001521
Inputting this code when you submit the FAFSA will ensure that SEU receives your information electronically. We will then use this information to help determine some of the types and amounts of financial aid you may be eligible for. - Other Money Records
If applicable, have records of other money earned and the value of your and your parent(s) assets and investments. (Note: This does not include retirement funds.) - Tax Information (for reference)
In previous years, you would have needed your and your parent’s federal income tax returns for the “prior-prior” year. But now, federal tax information (FTI) will automatically populate into your FAFSA once you and your parent(s) have provided consent. (Of course, keeping your own copies of tax forms available for reference is always a good idea.)
Tax Year Reference
School Year of Attendance: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
- Earliest Submission Date: Beginning in December of 2023
- Income Year: 2022
- Eligibility: SAI
- Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX): Required*
School Year of Attendance: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
- Earliest Submission Date: December 1, 2024**
- Income Year: 2023
- Eligibility: SAI
- Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX): Required*
- Application Opening Date & Income Information — Applications for the 2024–2025 academic year opened late, and used 2022 income information.
- Financial Aid Eligibility — Starting in the 2024–2025 academic year, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) was discontinued. Instead, students will receive a Student Aid Index (SAI).
- Direct Data Exchange (DDX) — Starting with the 2024–2025 academic year, instead of the optional IRS Data Retrieval Tool, families will be required to consent to have their tax information pulled from the IRS database using a Direct Data Exchange (DDX) on the FAFSA application. This process feeds required tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA application.
- This video from Federal Student Aid is also a great resource.
Application Opening Date & Income Information — The application for the 2025–2026 academic year is expected to open in December of 2024 and will use 2023 income information.
Note: A Beta Version of the 2025–2026 FAFSA is currently available.
This video from Federal Student Aid is also a great resource.
*For 2024–2025 and going forward, the system will not be referred to as the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. It will be referred to as the FA-DDX (Direct Data Exchange).
**It is anticipated that the FAFSA application window begin in December of 2024, for the 2025–2026 FAFSA application (using 2023 tax information).
First Time FAFSA Applicants
Key Messages for first-time applicants getting started:
- Prepare to complete the 2025–26 FAFSA® form by having your documents ready and creating a StudentAid.gov account. You and your contributor(s) will each need an account to access and fill out the online form. This should be done before entering the FAFSA form.
- If you’re a dependent student, determine which parent will need to provide information on your FAFSA form using the Parent Wizard Tool. Typically, only one parent needs to be invited to contribute to your form.
- First time filling out the FAFSA form? Learn more about each step of the process here.
Helpful resources for high school seniors and first-time filers:
- Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account – Everything you need to know about StudentAid.gov accounts in under five minutes
- Pro Tips for the FAFSA® Form | Federal Student Aid Tips to help students and families successfully complete the 2025–26 FAFSA form
- Applying for Financial Aid With the FAFSA® Form – YouTube Brief videos for first-time applicants + contributors that simply explain the FAFSA form and how to apply for federal student aid
Check out the Federal Student Aid You Tube channel for how-to videos, tips, and more.
In particular, these videos are very useful:
Check out the Federal Student Aid You Tube channel for how-to videos, tips, and more.
In particular, these videos are very useful:
Submitting the FAFSA
Changes to several components of the FAFSA application process began in 2023, which affect the 2024–2025 academic year. Each year’s FAFSA is based on the prior-prior year’s income information. Students (and parents as applicable) will report income information based on the information detailed below.
Note for 2024–25 FAFSA: The application is now available, so students may begin to submit the FAFSA. However, the form may experience issues or periods of system down time. Visit this DOE page for details and updates.
- Application Opening Date & Income Information — Students were able to file a FAFSA as early as October 1, 2022, using 2021 income information.
- Financial Aid Eligibility — The current FAFSA application includes an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which is used to determine financial aid eligibility.
- IRS Data Retrieval Tool — The current FAFSA allows families to choose to retrieve data from the IRS using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- Application Opening Date & Income Information — Applications for the 2024–2025 academic year open in December of 2023 (not October), and will use 2022 income information.
- Financial Aid Eligibility — Starting in the 2024–2025 academic year, the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) is being discontinued. Instead, students will receive a Student Aid Index (SAI).
- Direct Data Exchange (DDX) — Starting with the 2024–2025 academic year, instead of the optional IRS Data Retrieval Tool, families will be required to consent to have their tax information pulled from the IRS database using a Direct Data Exchange (DDX) on the FAFSA application. This process will feed required tax information directly from the IRS to your FAFSA application.
- This video from Federal Student Aid is also a great resource.
Tax Year Reference
School Year of Attendance: July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024
- Earliest Submission Date: Beginning October 1, 2022
- Income Year: 2021
- Eligibility: EFC
- IRS Data Retrieval Tool: Optional
School Year of Attendance: July 1, 2024 – June 30, 2025
- Earliest Submission Date: Beginning in December of 2023
- Income Year: 2022
- Eligibility: SAI
- Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX): Required*
School Year of Attendance: July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026
- Earliest Submission Date: October 1, 2024**
- Income Year: 2023
- Eligibility: SAI
- Financial Aid Direct Data Exchange (FA-DDX): Required*
*For 24/25 and forward, the system will not referred to as the IRS Data Retrieval Tool. It will be referred to as the FA-DDX (Direct Data Exchange).
**It is anticipated that the FAFSA application window to move back to October 1, 2024, for the 2025-2026 FAFSA application.
Check out the Federal Student Aid You Tube channel for how-to videos, tips, and more.
In particular, these videos are very useful:
Check out the Federal Student Aid You Tube channel for how-to videos, tips, and more.
In particular, these videos are very useful:
Prepare to Submit Your FAFSA
Here’s a checklist of everything you need to fill out the FAFSA, updated for 2024.
- Your FSA ID
Do this first! You — and whichever parent(s) will be contributors on your FAFSA — must create a separate FSA ID by each creating an account on studentaid.gov. If an account already exists with your parent(s), they can check to make sure their login is working. You will need your own FSA ID. - Your and your parent’s Social Security numbers
These are necessary for submitting the form. If you’re not a U.S. Citizen but fall into one of the categories that make you eligible for federal financial aid, you’ll also need your A-Number. (If your parent doesn’t have a Social Security Number, that’s okay, just provide their mailing address.) - Driver’s license
If you have one, you’ll need to have it available. - SEU’s FAFSA Code, 001521
Inputting this code when you submit the FAFSA will ensure that SEU receives your information electronically. We will then use this information to help determine some of the types and amounts of financial aid you may be eligible for. - Other Money Records
If applicable, have records of other money earned and the value of your and your parent(s) assets and investments. (Note: This does not include retirement funds.) - Tax Information (for reference)
In previous years, you would have needed your and your parent’s federal income tax returns for the “prior-prior” year. But now, federal tax information (FTI) will automatically populate into your FAFSA once you and your parent(s) have provided consent. (Of course, keeping your own copies of tax forms available for reference is always a good idea.)
