Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

If you need of financial assistance, complete your FAFSA and make sure to list Texas A&M University's federal school code, 003632.

In order to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must submit a FAFSA each year. It is available on or after October 1 of the year prior to enrollment. For example, the FAFSA for the 2023-2024 academic year can be submitted on or after October 1, 2022. To ensure your file is ready for awarding, we recommend that you submit your FAFSA by the recommended submission date as listed below.

Please Note* Due to changes required by the FAFSA Simplification Act, the 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until sometime in December of 2023. We will update this site with the exact date, as soon as we have it. The delay of the FAFSA this year is due to significant changes required by the FAFSA Simplification Act. We encourage all students to complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA by March 15, 2024, which is the priority date for the state of Texas. For more information on the significant changes for federal student aid, please review the article “What is the FAFSA Simplification Act?” published by Federal Student Aid.


Application Term	FAFSA	Recommended Submission Date
Spring 2024	2023-2024	October 1, 2023
Summer 2024	2023-2024	January 15, 2024
Fall 2024	2024-2025	March 15, 2024
Spring 2025	2024-2025	October 1, 2024
Summer 2025	2024-2025	January 15, 2025

FAFSA Application Process

FAFSA will open on or after October 1 the year prior to enrollment. (Please read notice above for 2024 exception).
If you are starting in the Fall, it is recommended you submit your FAFSA by March 15th, 2024 for Fall 2024 enrollment.
The state priority deadline to submit your FAFSA is March 15th, 2024 for Fall 2024 enrollment.
A FAFSA is required in order to be considered for federal and state financial aid
A FAFSA may be completed online at studentaid.gov

FSA ID

The FSA ID (a username and password) is used to log into U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID confirms your identity when you access your financial aid information and electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents. If you do not already have a FSA ID, you can create one when creating an account with studentaid.gov.

The security of your FSA ID is important. Your FSA ID can be used to:

Electronically sign Federal Student Aid documents,
Access your personal records
Finalize binding legal obligations

FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)

A FSS is a transcript of the information provided on the FAFSA. The FSS is available to be received by paper mail or email. If you would like to receive it by email, it will be sent to the email address provided on the FAFSA. The email address provided is shared with each of the schools listed on the FAFSA for correspondence purposes. Texas A&M officially communicates with students through their assigned Texas A&M Gmail account. For more information about your Texas A&M Gmail account please log onto google.tamu.edu. You may sign up for a Texas A&M Gmail account once you have been admitted to TAMU.

How do I apply?

The online FAFSA can be found on the Federal Student Aid website. This is the best way to make sure you FAFSA gets submitted quickly and securely. You will need to log in with your FSA ID (or create a new ID if this is your first time). This can be used to log into many different Department of Education sites, so make sure to remember this ID and password.

If for some reason you cannot complete the FAFSA online, you can fill out the paper version. While the online FAFSA is typically received by Texas A&M within one week, the paper version may take up to 3-5 weeks to be received and processed, so we recommend submitting online when possible.

When should I submit the FAFSA?

Financial aid funds are limited, so the earlier you can submit your FAFSA, the better. Remember, the FAFSA must be completed each year in order for you to receive financial aid.

The FAFSA is available each year starting on October 1.

Please Note* Due to changes required by the FAFSA Simplification Act, the 2024-2025 FAFSA will not be available until later in the 2023 calendar year. After it becomes available, we recommend you complete the 2024-2025 FAFSA by March 15, 2024. For more information about the major changes that are taking place, please review the article “What is the FAFSA Simplification Act?” published by Federal Student Aid.

Dependency Status

All applicants for federal student aid are considered either “independent” or “dependent.” Dependent students are required to include information about their parents on the FAFSA. By answering a few questions, you can get a good idea of which category you fit into.

Will you be 24 or older by Dec. 31 of the school year for which you are applying for financial aid?
Will you be working toward a master’s or doctorate degree (such as M.A., M.B.A., M.D., J.D., Ph.D., Ed.D., etc.)?
Are you married or separated but not divorced?
Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
Do you have dependents (other than children or a spouse) who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you?
At any time since you turned age 13, were both of your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a ward or dependent of the court?
Are you an emancipated minor or are you in a legal guardianship as determined by a court?
Are you an unaccompanied youth who is homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. armed forces for purposes other than training?
Are you a veteran of the U.S. armed forces?

If none of the criteria listed above apply to you, you are considered a dependent student and are required to provide your parents’ financial information when completing the FAFSA. If you are unable to provide parent information, please contact our office. If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you are an independent student. You are not required to provide parental information on your FAFSA.

If you have questions about your dependency status or need more information, please visit StudentAid.gov/dependency.

Occasionally, unusual circumstances may exist that warrant a review of a student's dependency status. Please contact us by telephone at 979.847.1787 for more information.

Per Federal regulations, Scholarships & Financial Aid cannot consider the following conditions as an unusual circumstance for a dependency status change:

Parents refuse to contribute to the student’s education;
Parents are unwilling to provide information on the FAFSA or for verification;
Parents do not claim the student as a dependent for income tax purposes;
Student demonstrates total self-sufficiency.

Who is my contributor when I fill out my FAFSA?

Contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information, consent and approval, and a signature on the FAFSA form.

Contributors may include:

Student
Student’s Spouse
Biological or adoptive parent
Stepparent

For reporting purposes, “parent contributor” means your legal (biological or adoptive) parent or stepparent, or a person that the state has determined to be your legal parent.

Use this guide to figure out which parent’s information to include (depending on your family's situation).

Question 1: Are your parents married to each other?

If yes, then report information for both parents on the FAFSA.

If no, then answer question 2.

Question 2: Do your parents live together?

If yes, then report information for both parents on the FAFSA, even if they were never married, are divorced, or are separated.

If no, then answer question 3.

Question 3: Did you live with one parent more than the other over the past 12 months?

If yes, then report information on the FAFSA for the parent you lived with more. Also, if this parent remarried, you will need to report information for your stepparent on the FAFSA.

If no, then report information on the FAFSA for the parent who provided more financial support over the past 12 months or in the last year you received support. Also, if this parent remarried, you will need to report information for your stepparent on the FAFSA.

The following people are not your parents unless they have legally adopted you:

Widowed Stepparent
Grandparents
Foster Parents
Legal Guardians
Older Brothers or Sisters
Aunts or Uncles

If you’re not sure whom to report as a parent, you can visit the Student Aid website or call 800-4-FED-AID (800-433-3243).

What is an SAI?

The Student Aid Index (SAI) is an evaluation of your family’s ability to contribute to college expenses. The SAI is calculated using a formula established by law. All the financial information you provide on the FAFSA is considered in the formula. Also considered are your family size and the number of family members who will attend college during the year. Schools use the SAI to determine your federal student aid eligibility and financial aid offer.

Note: Your SAI is not the amount of money your family will have to pay for college nor is it the amount of federal student aid you will receive. It is a number used by the school to calculate the amount of financial aid you are eligible to receive.

What if my financial situation has changed since the tax year requested on the FAFSA?

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