If you are in need of financial assistance, make sure your FAFSA lists Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University's federal school code is 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 2020-2021 academic year can be submitted on or after October 1, 2019. In order to ensure your file is ready for awarding, we recommend that you submit your FAFSA by the recommended submission date as listed below. 
 

Scroll Table Left and Right

Semester Aid Needed	Recommended Submission Date
Fall Only or Fall-Spring	December 15
Spring Only	September 30
Summer Only	February

FAFSA Application Process

• FAFSA will open October 1 the year prior to enrollment.
• A FAFSA is required in order to be considered for federal and state financial aid
• A FAFSA may be completed online at studentaid.ed.gov/sa

FSA ID

The FSA ID (a user name 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.ed.gov/sa.

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

Student Aid Report (SAR)

A SAR is a transcript of the information provided on the FAFSA. The SAR 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.

What is the eTASFA?

The State of Texas has a financial aid application for students who are not United States Citizens, but who are Texas residents. This application is called the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). The application for 2020-2021 opens October 1st, 2019 and has a priority deadline of January 15th, 2020.

Texas residents who are not U.S. citizens may not receive Federal Aid, but can receive State and Institutional Aid. Our office reviews you for these funds by looking at the information from your TASFA. To qualify for the TASFA, you must meet the one of the following three criteria: 

To fill out this application, you must meet the one of the following three criteria:^​​​

1. You resided in Texas for 36 consecutive months before earning a high school diploma or GED, and
   • Lived part of that time with a parent or legal guardian
   • Were not a resident of another state
   • Had not been admitted to a college and completed credit prior to 2001
2. You hold a visa* that allows you to live in the United States.
   • You must be employed in Texas for at least 12 months before you enroll in college
3. You (regardless of USCIS status) have filed an I-130 or I-140 to petition for permanent residency status

*For more information regarding visas that enable you to domicile in the United States, please view the table of  Immigration Visa Types.

Scholarships and Financial Aid will not share your immigration status with anyone. You can review FERPA guidelines to better understand your rights. 

Complete the eTASFA?

If you meet the criteria above, and are not eligible to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), follow these steps to complete the eTASFA at Texas A&M University.

1. Log in to the Howdy Portal.
2. If you have already been admitted, go to the My Finances tab. If you have not yet been admitted but have applied for admissions, go to the Applicant tab.
3. Under the TASFA channel, click on the link to the Texas Application for State Financial Aid.
4. Complete all sections of the application. 
5. If your application requires parent information, you will have the option of sending your parent an email with instructions on how to electronically sign your eTASFA. Or, you can print the eTASFA for your parent to sign.
6. After your application is fully signed and submitted, allow one business day before checking your Financial Aid Portal for additional documents that may be required. 

The eTASFA is available for the 2020-2021 academic year. If you need to complete the TASFA for 2019-2020, please print and complete the 2019-2020 TASFA form.

TASFA Checklist

After completing the eTASFA, please allow 1-2 business days for the following documents to be requested in your Financial Aid Portal:

• Signed 2018 Parent Tax Return (Dependent students only)
• 2018 Parent W-2 Forms (Dependent students only)
• Signed 2018 Student (and spouse, if married) Tax Return
• 2018 Student (and spouse, if married) W-2 Forms
• Selective Service Registration Acknowledgement Card (male students only).
  • If you are unsure if you must register for Selective Service, you can read about Selective Service registration requirements on the Selective Service website.

After your application is reviewed, you may be required to provide additional documents. If so, you will be contacted by a financial aid advisor with more details and instructions.

Application Tips

• Double check documents before submitting. We cannot process documents without all required information and signatures.
• Submit documents in person, by postal mail, fax, or Financial Aid Portal document upload
• Check your tamu.edu email and financial aid portal regularly, as this is how we communicate with students.
• Let us know if you have questions. We are here to help via email, over the phone, and in person.
• Submit the application early! Funding is limited, so you could miss out on funds if you wait to submit your application.

Do NOT:

• Leave any questions blank on the TASFA form. ALL questions must have an answer. If you cannot answer a question or submit a document, please check with our office on what to do.
• Email documents. This is not a secure way to send personal information.
• Wait until the priority date to submit the TASFA. Additional documents may be requested after you have submitted your application. Apply early to allow time to submit these before the priority date. 

When applying for federal student aid, the information you report on the FAFSA is used to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The formula used to calculate your EFC is established by law and is used to measure your family's financial strength on the basis of your family's income, assets, family size and number of family members in post-secondary education. The EFC is used to determine your eligibility for federal student aid as well as other student aid programs. Cost of Attendance (COA) is also referred to as a budget. Financial need is determined by subtracting the EFC from the COA. Please see the formula below.

    Cost of Attendance (COA)
-   Expected Family Contribution (EFC)
=  Financial Need

Your eligibility for need-based aid is determined by subtracting other outside financial assistance (scholarships) from the calculated financial need. Students are not allowed to receive aid that exceeds their Cost of Attendance.

    Cost of Attendance (COA)
-   Financial Aid Awarded So Far*
=  Eligibility for Non-need-based Aid

*Includes aid from all sources, including private scholarships

What Happens Next?

After the FAFSA: What Happens Next
 

If you are enrolled in summer courses at Texas A&M, we encourage you to complete the Summer Supplement on howdy.tamu.edu. By completing this online form, you are notifying Texas A&M of all outside scholarships that are to be received during the summer sessions. To complete the form, visit the financial aid portal and select the link “Summer Supplement” under the Status page. The FAFSA from the previous fall and spring semester must be on file in order to determine your financial aid eligibility.
 

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