The FAFSA, officially known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the form that families fill out to apply for federal grants, loans, and work-study funds for college students. It is administered by the U.S. Department of Education, which provides more than $150 billion in student aid each year. To apply for federal student aid, you need to complete the FAFSA.
EVEN IF YOU THINK you won’t qualify for any aid, we encourage you to fill out the FAFSA. There are Carroll College grants and scholarships you may be eligible for just because you filed the FAFSA. These grants and scholarships include large awards like the Montana and Northwest Advantage Awards that range from $1,000 to $11,000. There are also special room grants for special populations.
If you apply and submit your FAFSA by December 1, 2024 you will receive a full Financial Aid Offer Letter by January of 2025.
If you would like to be considered for any federal need-based aid (Pell Grant, FSEOG Grant, Stafford loans, and Federal Work-Study) or Carroll College need-based aid, you must complete the FAFSA. It is easy if you take a few steps to get prepared.
You will need your and/or your parents' tax returns for income and tax data, as well as your personal information. You also need to know that Carroll College's FAFSA School Code is 002526. You can pull up the online FAFSA pre-application to get an idea of the questions you'll need to answer.
Also, the Direct Data Exchange, which allows automatic population of a student's FAFSA with tax return data and decreases the need for additional documentation, can be used by millions more students and families under PPY (see below), since the data from two years prior would be readily available upon application.
The 2025-2026 FAFSA will be available in December 2024, so students can use the PPY's (2023) completed income tax return. In the future it will be available October 1st each year.
The results of your FAFSA or the Student Aid Index (SAI) will be sent to each school you list on the FAFSA. Carroll's priority deadline for receipt of the FAFSA is February 1.
The FAFSA requests information about two-year prior taxes based on the assumption that is the best way to project a family's ability to contribute to their student's cost of education.
If extenuating circumstances exist that change the student's overall financial status (such as medical and dental expenses not covered by insurance, loss of income (termination, layoff, reduction of salary), divorce or separation, or the costs of tuition for siblings or children attending private elementary and secondary institutions), the Financial Aid Office will consider these to determine if the student has additional eligibility for financial aid.
Students who find themselves in this situation should submit a Special Circumstance Form. A Special Circumstance should be submitted only if you feel your current financial situation is unique and not accurately reflected on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. The request may require further documentation and is subject to the professional judgment of the Carroll College Financial Aid Office staff. Any decision is final and applies only to Carroll College.
Appeals will be reviewed once your FAFSA has been completed and all required documentation has been received. The accuracy of the information provided on the FAFSA will be verified before any adjustments are considered.
Did you miss Carroll’s recent FAFSA financial aid nights hosted by experienced financial aid professional Janet Riis and her team? Watch it here and remember you can always reach out to Janet’s team for questions!
Better FAFSA, Better Future
