FAFSA

It all starts with the FAFSA

The FAFSA, or the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the application used to determine your eligibility for federal and state aid (including grants, loans, and work-study), calculate your need, award your financial aid, and prepare your financial aid notification (FAN).

Be sure to submit a FAFSA each year to be considered for federal & state aid and any need-based aid that requires FAFSA documentation.

FAFSA Dates/Deadlines

Oct 1st: FAFSA Open for Application

April 15th: Indiana FAFSA Deadline

  • Apply by this date to be considered for state aid like the O'Bannon grant & the 21st Century Scholars award.

June 30th: Federal FAFSA Deadline

Submit the FAFSA

What you'll need

Make sure you have the important pieces of information listed here. Having everything together before you start will make filling out the FAFSA easier.

To file your FAFSA, you need to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. This is a username and password combination that you’ll use to securely access your financial aid information and electronically sign your FAFSA.

Learn more about your FSA ID

A contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student's form (such as a parent/stepparent or spouse). A student's or parent's answers on the FAFSA will determine which contributors (if any) will be required to provide information.

Contributors will receive an email informing them that they've been identified as such and will need to log in using their own FSA ID to provide the required information on the student's FAFSA.

Being a contributor does not mean they are financially responsible for the student's education costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide information on the FAFSA or the application will be incomplete and the student will not be eligible for federal student aid.

IU East’s federal school code is 001811.

You’ll need your tax information from two years before the academic year for which you’re seeking aid. For example, to apply for aid for the 2024–25 academic year, you’ll fill out the 2024–25 FAFSA and include your 2022 tax information.

All persons on the FAFSA must provide consent for the Department of Education to receive tax information or confirmation of non-filing status directly from the IRS. In some cases, students and families will have to enter their tax data manually, but for most that data will be automatically transferred into the application.

You will need information about your savings, investments, and business assets (this includes small businesses and family farms).

 

Questions?

Contact our Financial Aid and Scholarships Office at:

Phone: 765-973-8206
Fax: 765-973-8288
Email: eaosfa@iue.edu
Email (veteran-specific questions): iuevets@iue.edu

Once you’ve gathered everything you need, you’re ready to file your FAFSA. The online application will guide you through the process—just follow the directions on the screen. You’re all set!

A note about dependency

Your dependency status is determined by a group of dependency questions on the FAFSA. If you can’t answer “yes” to any of the questions, you’ll be considered dependent and advised to supply parental information on your FAFSA.

You’re considered to be a dependent if you:

  • Are under 24 years old
  • Are not a graduate or professional student
  • Are not a veteran or member of the armed forces
  • Are not an orphan or ward of the court
  • Are not homeless or at risk for becoming homeless
  • Are not an emancipated minor

If you do not meet the above criteria, but have unusual circumstances that prevent you from obtaining parental information, you may request dependency status appeal.

Which parent(s) to include

Not sure which parent’s information to include on your FAFSA? Get the details about reporting parent information.