Federal Student Aid (2024)

FAQs

Is federal student aid different from FAFSA? ›

Apply for federal student aid—grants, work-study, and loans—using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form. And remember, the first F in “FAFSA” stands for “free”—you shouldn't pay to fill out the FAFSA form!

Federal Student Aid offers three types of financial aid. Grants: Financial aid that generally doesn't have to be repaid. Loans: Borrowed money for college or career school; your loans must be repaid with interest.

What are the FAFSA income limits? A common myth is that students from high-income families won't qualify for FAFSA funding. In reality, there's no maximum income cap that determines your eligibility for aid. Although your earnings are a factor on the FAFSA, only some programs are based on need.

To receive federal student aid, you'll need to… to obtain a college, career school, or trade school education, either by having a high school diploma or equivalent, by completing a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law, or by meeting the criteria for an ability-to-benefit alternative.

FAFSA aid is calculated based on a number of factors. Broadly speaking, these include a student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) and cost of attendance. A student's EFC is subtracted from their COA to determine the amount of need-based aid the student is eligible for.

It is not the financial aid itself. However, the FAFSA enables the student to qualify for many types of financial aid from several sources. Some of this money is free money, some must be earned through work, and some must be repaid. There are three main types of financial aid.

Options include grants, loans, scholarships, and work-study. Visit Types of Financial Aid on the Federal Student Aid website. You will learn about funding you can get from the government, your school, and private sources including: Grants.

Don't worry, this is a common question for many students. The good news is that the Department of Education doesn't have an official income cutoff to qualify for federal financial aid. So, even if you think your parents' income is too high, it's still worth applying (plus, it's free to apply).

Will I get financial aid if my parents make over $200 K? ›

Even if your family makes multiple six figures a year, you can still get financial aid. That said, not financial aid is created equal. Ideally, you want free money, or grants not loans. Despite earning a six-figure household income, many parents struggle to pay for their children's education without going into debt.

For most students, there will not be enough financial aid to cover the full cost of tuition, unless the parents borrow a Federal Parent PLUS loan. The financial aid will be based on financial need, which is usually less than the cost of attendance.

Stafford Loan Limits

For example, a first-year dependent student can take out a total of $5,500 in Stafford loans. Subsidized loans can make up a maximum of $3,500 of this total. This means if you have the maximum $3,500 in a subsidized loan, you can borrow another $2,000 in an unsubsidized loan that year.

If you think you or your parents make too much to file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), you're wrong. There are no income limits on the FAFSA. Instead, your eligibility for federal student aid depends on how much your college costs and what your family should contribute.

The good news for many students is that much of the money you are awarded through the FAFSA does not need to be paid back. This includes need-based financial aid grants that are awarded by individual colleges, as well as federal and state grants like the Pell Grant or Federal SEOG Grants.

This article applies only to the 2023–24 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form. A Student Aid Report (SAR) is an electronic or paper document that summarizes the information you reported on your FAFSA^® form.

Unlike federal student loans, Pell Grants don't have to be paid back except under certain circ*mstances. Millions of Pell Grants are awarded each year to eligible undergraduate students who submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA^®) form.