FAFSA Tips
As you begin the process of applying for financial aid for the academic year, the UNC Office of Financial Aid offers these tips:
- File by the March 1 deadline to have full consideration for all types of aid. Students whose applications are received by the processor after March 1 missed out on state and institutional grants, work study due to limited funds.
- Keep or print out a copy of the FAFSA you submit. If you file online, print out a copy, or make one of the paper FAFSA before you mail it.
- Follow the instructions-when it asks for 2020 income information (for spring/summer 2023 use the 2022-23 FAFSA) and/or 2021 income information (for fall 2023 use the 2023-24 FAFSA), follow the instructions for the IRS Data Retrieval.
- For more detailed instructions concerning the general application process for financial aid, see the following Department of Education links:
Expedite the process by using the IRS Data Retrieval Option.
*Important Information on IRS Data Retrieval/Obtaining a Tax Transcript
The U.S. Department of Education and the Internal Revenue Service have worked together to develop a process called the IRS Data Retrieval Option to simplify the steps that students and families must take each year to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
If all goes well and you applied on time, you should receive an official aid offer
in March. Scholarships may or may not appear on your first aid offer, it depends if
the scholarship committees have made decisions. You will receive separate notification
of scholarships awarded in any case. Have questions? Call us at (970) 351-4862, email
us at ofa@unco.edu.
