How to Apply to FAFSA
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is now open for you to apply. Make sure to take advantage of this opportunity to secure financial aid for your education. Complete your FAFSA as soon as possible to maximize your potential funding and get your financial package from Stetson University.
Stetson University's FAFSA school code is 001531.
If you are a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, then you are required to complete the FAFSA to receive financial aid from Stetson University. You will be required to resubmit a FASFA every academic year to continue that aid.
Through the FAFSA, you may be eligible for different types of financial aid. Loans are money you borrow to help pay for college, which you’ll need to pay back with interest. Grants and scholarships, on the other hand, are considered "free money" because you don't have to pay them back. These are usually given based on financial need.
Which types of aid require the FAFSA?
| Type of Aid | FAFSA Required? |
|---|---|
| Stetson University Institutional Need-Based Aid | Yes |
| Stetson Univerity Merit Scholarships | No |
| Stetson University Endowed Scholarships | Yes |
| Effective Access to Student Education Program (EASE) | No |
| Federal Direct Student Loans | Yes |
| Federal Pell Grant | Yes |
| Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG) | Yes |
| Federal Work-Study (FWS) | Yes |
| Florida Bright Futures Scholarship | No |
| Florida Student Assistance Grant (FSAG) | Yes |
| Parent PLUS Loans | Yes |
For a complete list of the information you need for the FAFSA, visit the required FAFSA details page on the Federal Student Aid website.
Our goal is to get aid information to students as quickly as possible. You will be notified directly by Stetson University Student Financial Aid once your financial aid package is ready for review.
Our goal is to get aid information to students as quickly as possible. You will be notified directly by Stetson University Student Financial Aid once your financial aid package is ready for review.
You can file a request for review with the Office of Student Financial Aid, which reviews your specific circumstances. From there it will be determined if updates can be made to your financial aid package.
What is consent, and why do I have to provide it when completing the FAFSA 2024-25?
The Future Act requires that every contributor on the FAFSA provide consent to share their tax information in the application so that the IRS can share this information with Federal Student Aid (FSA). All parties whose Federal Tax Information (FTI) is included on a student’s FAFSA form must consent annually.
The consent will be required when a student submits a FAFSA, chooses Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) when starting loan repayment, or submits the Total and Permanent Disability discharge (TPD) within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for totally and permanently disabled students.
The consent is necessary not only for the U.S. Department of Education to request federal tax information from the IRS but also to use that FTI in the federal student aid application process (i.e., disclose that information to certain eligible entities, such as higher education institutions).
What happens if I, as a student, or a spouse or parent, do not want to provide consent on the FAFSA?
If a student, spouse, or parent does not provide consent on the FAFSA, the Student Aid Index (SAI) will not be calculated, and the student will not be eligible for financial aid.
What if I had a low income and was not required to file taxes?
According to the IRS tax year 2022, these are the thresholds by filing status. If an independent student (and spouse, if married) or a parent of a dependent student were not required to file a federal income tax return for 2022, then the student will automatically receive a Student Aid Index (SAI) equal to –1500. They still need to provide consent when submitting the FAFSA so the IRS can confirm to Federal Student Aid (FSA) that the student, parents, and spouse did not file taxes.
Will students still be able to use the IRS data retrieval tool?
No. Starting FAFSA 2024-25, the DRT will no longer exist. After the student, spouse, and/or parent provides consent to the Direct Data Exchange (FADDX) via the FAFSA completion process, the Federal Tax Information (FTI) will be linked to the application contributor. Federal Student Aid (FSA) will now directly transfer Federal Tax Information (FTI) from the IRS into the FAFSA form as long as the user has provided FSA with consent to do so.
All users identified as required contributors on a particular FAFSA form will be prompted to provide consent for the IRS to use their Federal Tax Information (FTI). This consent is required to retrieve FTI from the IRS to calculate the student’s aid eligibility. If any required contributor to the FAFSA form does not provide consent, submission of the form will still be allowed. However, a Student Aid Index (SAI), which replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC), will not be calculated.
Will non-custodial parents be contributors if they have not claimed the child on their taxes?
Starting with the Simplified FAFSA, students will determine which parent(s) to report based on which provides the most financial support. This determination will not be impacted by if the parent(s) reported the student on their taxes. The reported parent(s) will provide consent to transfer their tax data even if they do not claim the student on their taxes.
If parents who are remarried provide more support to the child than a biological parent, does the stepparent have to provide their tax information?
Yes. If the parent providing more financial support is remarried, the stepparent’s tax information is required.
What if my parents or stepparents do not want to provide their tax information for my FAFSA?
Office of Financial Aid staff can talk directly with the parent or stepparent to explain why that information is needed and answer any questions, which sometimes puts them at ease about how their information will be used. Our staff cannot provide tax advice.
How do I report small business or farm value as assets on the FAFSA?
Parents (or independent students) are the best sources for this estimate; they can consult their accountant or other financial professional if they have access to one, to estimate the amounts to report.
My parent is self-employed – do they still need to say they own a business?
Being self-employed shows as business income on tax returns. But it depends on the type of work whether or not they will have to report any assets associated with their business.
I – and/or my parents or spouse – amended our taxes. Will my federal tax information (FTI) be transferred, or do I have to provide a 1040x later to the school?
Yes, Federal Tax Information (FTI) can be transferred. Starting 2024-25, when the student, spouse, parent, and/or stepparent provide consent, the IRS’s FTI will include the information from an amended tax return.
Can I self-report my income on FAFSA?
After you provide consent on the FAFSA, if the IRS cannot transfer your Federal Tax Information (FTI) to your FAFSA application, the application will allow you to self-report it. Self-reporting your tax information on the FAFSA does not override the requirement for each required contributor to provide consent on the FAFSA form. They will need to both 1) provide consent and 2) have their tax information submitted, either directly from the IRS or self-reported manually, on the FAFSA form.
If a parent of a dependent student or an independent student is a non-filer and earned no wages for the applicable year, do they have to provide consent?
Any individual who is a contributor to the FAFSA application must provide consent. This includes parents and independent students, regardless of their tax filing status. Generally, the parents of independent students are not contributors and would, therefore, not need to provide consent.
What happens if a contributor provides consent but does not sign the FAFSA form?
Starting 2024-25, FAFSAs submitted online must be completed online, including all required signatures. This means if a signature is missing, the applicable parent or the contributor must obtain an FSA ID to complete their section and sign the FAFSA.
Starting 2024-25, parents without a Social Security Number may create an FSA ID for use in completing and signing the FAFSA. Please see the following U.S. Department of Education webpage regarding creating an FSA ID: Create Account | Federal Student Aid.
There is no longer an option to print and submit a signature page to complete an online FAFSA and financial aid administrators will not be able to submit FAFSA signature forms on students’ behalf.
Students and parents will be required to have an FSA ID to complete the FAFSA application, including consent and signature, online. If they choose to mail a paper FAFSA, all contributors (student and parents) will need to provide consent on the paper FAFSA, provide original signatures (i.e. wet signatures), and mail the paper FAFSA to the U.S. Department of Education address as indicated on the paper application. This method is not recommended due to its complexity and resulting increased processing time.
In what situations will there be a match with the IRS, but the IRS would not provide information?
Identity theft or fraud are the most likely reasons for the IRS not providing tax information for the applicant or the contributor. If the contributor has been flagged by the IRS, possibly due to identity theft or a breach of some sort to their information, then the IRS will notify the FAFSA processors via an electronic code indicating they are unable to provide the data. The FAFSA processors will notify you if this occurs.
If a parent does not want to or refuses to create an FSA id, is there an alternative for that parent to provide consent, such as mailing an original signature (i.e. wet signature) on a consent page?
There is no longer a separate signature page, and there will not be a consent signature option on paper. There are two alternative options for contributors to provide consent who will not or cannot create an FSA ID. One option is to submit a paper FAFSA form completed by all contributors and mailed to Federal Student Aid. This method is not recommended due to its complexity and increased processing time.