FAFSA Information

Applying for Financial Aid

Federal Student Aid for College or Career School—The U.S. Department of Education’s office of Federal Student Aid provides grants, loans, and work-study opportunities to eligible students attending participating colleges or career schools. Federal Student Aid is the largest source of financial aid in the U.S. For further information and an online application, visit StudentAid.gov or call the Federal Student Aid Information Center toll-free: 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243). TTY for the hearing-impaired: 1-800-730-8913. 

To apply for consideration for all federal, state and institutional aid programs, students must complete an annual application known as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) This form may be completed online at www.fafsa.ed.gov.

Getting Started

Prior to completing your financial aid application, it is important to get organized and collect all needed information. This information may include student data only or student and parent data depending upon the student's "dependency" status for financial aid purposes. In accordance with federal regulations, all students are considered dependent upon their parent(s) or guardian(s) for financial aid purposes unless they meet one of the following criteria:

• Born before January 1, 1979 and be at least 24 years-old by January 1 of the year you are applying for
• Working on a degree beyond a bachelor's during the academic year
• Are married
• Have children who receive more than half of their support from the student or have other dependents who live with and receive more than half of their support from the student
• Are an orphan or ward of the court until age 18
• Are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces

Information and documents you will need to complete your financial aid application include:

• FSA ID
• Copies of the previous year’s Federal Tax return & Schedules/estimated tax information
• Records of any untaxed income received in the last year (welfare, social security, AFDC or ADCW, veteran benefits)
• Current bank statements, mortgage information (on residences other than your primary home), business and farm records, records of stocks, binds, and other investments.

Watch a video on how to complete your FAFSA.

Things to Remember:

• When completing your FAFSA, please take your time and be sure to answer all required fields and essential information. Missing responses to required fields will prevent or delay processing of your application.
• If exact data is not known at the time of filing, we recommend students and parents estimate their data and make adjustments/revisions at a later time.
• Be sure to record your home institution's "Title IV School Code" and all required signatures.

Many financial aid programs have limited funds, so it’s critical that students apply early for financial aid. While USG participants will be considered for as much as possible, students should make every effort to meet both their institutional priority deadline as well as the State of Maryland’s deadline (MD residents only).

Title IV Codes and priority dates

Estimate Your Financial Aid

The Net Price Calculator is designed to help you estimate your financial aid options. This calculator should allow students to calculate an estimated net price of attendance at an institution (defined as cost of attendance minus grant and scholarship aid) based on what similar students paid in a previous year. Please be sure to complete the entire process to ensure the best possible results.