Applying for Aid — Undergraduate and Graduate Students

1. File Your FAFSA

The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the official application a student must complete to receive federal, state, or institutional aid. College students (and sometimes parents) must complete this form every year to determine aid eligibility.

What To Do

File your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov as early as January 1 prior to the academic year in which you plan to enroll. For example, if you plan to enroll in the fall of 2007 you can submit your FAFSA starting January 2007. Drexel’s school code is 003256.

Graduate students must also file Drexel's Institutional Financial Aid Application (PDF).

FAFSA deadlines are as follows:

• New students entering in the fall term
  Best filing period: January 1 to March 1
  New students need to file the FAFSA by March 1 to receive a financial aid package reflecting the maximum eligibility for federal, state, and University-based funds. If you file after March 1, we will continue the aid process on a rolling basis until the first day of classes.
• New students entering in the winter, spring, or summer terms
  Best filing period: July 1 up until your admission
  application deadline
• Continuing students
  Best filing period: January 1 to May 1
  If you have previously filed your FAFSA online, you must update your file online by May 1 and resubmit it (renewal FAFSA) in order to be considered for aid for the next academic year.

Tips

• FAFSA applications are processed on a rolling basis; however, you must allow five to six weeks to receive any aid for which you are eligible.
• Apply early. The longer you wait to file your FAFSA, the longer it will take for you to receive your aid. If you wait too long, some types of aid may no longer be available.