If you are seeking financial assistance, make sure your FAFSA lists Texas A&M University as a school to receive your information electronically. Texas A&M University's federal school code is 003632. Complete all applicable sections and carefully review your information for accuracy.

The FAFSA must be completed each spring in order for you to receive financial aid for the upcoming academic year. The online FAFSA is located at fafsa.gov. In most cases, the online FAFSA can be received by Texas A&M within one week of submission. The paper version of the FAFSA can be obtained from your high school counselor or online. The paper FAFSA can take 3-5 weeks to be sent to Texas A&M. We recommend completing the online FAFSA for quicker results. More information on how to fill out the FAFSA can be found at finaid.ucsb.edu.
 

Scroll Table Left and Right

Semester Aid Needed	FAFSA	Date Available	Recommended Submission Date
Fall 2016	2016-2017	January 1, 2016	March 15, 2016
Spring 2017	2016-2017	January 1, 2016	September 30, 2016
Summer 2017	2016-2017	October 1, 2016	February 1, 2017
Fall 2017	2016-2017	October 1, 2016	March 15, 2017
Spring 2018	2017-2018	October 1, 2017	September 30,2017

FAFSA Application Process

• The FAFSA is available January 1 for the following school year.
• You must submit a completed FAFSA in order to be considered for federal/state grants and student loans.
• You may complete the FAFSA using the online or paper version.
• The online version can be signed electronically using a FSA ID.
• The priority deadline for Texas A&M University is March 15.
• ***Beginning 2017/2018 the FAFSA will be made available on October 1***

FSA ID

The FSA ID (a user name and password) must be used to log in to certain 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 logging in to fafsa.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, and
• Make binding legal obligations.

Student Aid Report (SAR)

A SAR is a recap of the information provided on the FAFSA. You should receive it in the mail within four weeks. If you do not receive your SAR, please check online at fafsa.gov or call (800) 433-3243. If you would like to receive the SAR electronically, be sure you provide your email address on the FAFSA. You will receive the SAR electronically within a few days after your information is processed. Your email address will be shared with each of the schools listed on the FAFSA so correspondence can be received from them as well. Texas A&M officially corresponds 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.

In 2001, legislation was passed by the State of Texas to allow certain categories of foreign students to meet state requirements for residency. This classification enables these students to pay resident tuition and fee rates while attending public institutions of higher education in Texas in addition to meeting residency requirements for some state financial aid programs.

To receive this classification, you must be able to meet one of the three criteria below.

• You must hold a visa that enables you to domicile in the United States*. You (or your parent, if you are a dependent) must be gainfully employed in Texas for at least 12 months preceding enrollment.
• You (regardless of INS status) have petitioned for permanent residency status (have filed an I-130 or I-140).
• You have resided in Texas for 36 consecutive months leading up to graduation from high school or the receipt of a GED certificate, living at least part of that time with a parent or court-appointed legal guardian. You have not established a residence in another state or location and have not taken ANY college hours prior to fall 2001 that required admission to an institution of higher education. (This includes hours taken through dual enrollment while attending high school).

Residency is determined by the Office of the Registrar.  For more information on eligibility requirements and the Affidavit of Intent to Become a Permanent Resident, please view Residency for Tuition Purposes. If you qualify for Resident status based on the criteria, you are eligible to apply for State aid. For more information and to apply, please download the TASFA from the Forms page.

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

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. Click the My Finances tab and enter the Financial Aid Portal. The Summer Supplement is available the spring prior to the summer session and must be submitted online. Summer awarding is on a first-come, first-served basis; therefore, it is important to get all required information submitted as soon as possible. The FAFSA from the previous fall and spring semester must be on file in order to determine your financial aid eligibility.
 

If you or your family has experienced extreme changes in your personal life or financial situation, you should contact our department to speak with a financial aid counselor.

Circumstances that may be considered include, but are not limited to the following:

• Loss of employment;
• Loss of benefits;
• Medical expenses;
• Separation or divorce;
• Death; and
• Expecting the birth of a child or addition to the household.

Before an adjustment can be considered, additional documentation may be required. Once the required documentation has been submitted, a review of the circumstance will occur. All information is considered confidential and will be retained by the University.

Note: Providing information for extenuating circumstances does not guarantee that an adjustment will be forthcoming.

Please contact us via email at financialaid@tamu.edu or by phone for more information.
 

What is verification?
Verification is a process through which Scholarships & Financial Aid verifies the information you reported on your FAFSA is correct. Federal regulations require all institutions to perform verification on applicants who apply for financial aid and meet certain criteria determined by the U.S. Department of Education. If you are chosen for verification, documents will be requested through the Financial Aid Portal, which can be accessed through howdy.tamu.edu. Please do not submit any documentation to our office unless specifically directed to do so.

What documentation do I need to submit?
If you are selected for verification you will be required to submit  documentation that is specific for your file. The documentation required will vary for each student.  For a list of documents requested visit your Howdy Portal click the My Finances tab, and enter the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal.

*Please do not submit any documentation to our office unless specifically directed to do so.

What is the verification process?
If there are any discrepancies between the FAFSA and documentation received found by our department during the verification process, they will be corrected by our office and sent to the Department of Education. This entire process normally takes 5-7 days from the time the final document is submitted, but may take longer during peak processing times.
 
Once verification is completed, your financial aid eligibility could change. If you have already been awarded and your eligibility changes as a result of verification, your financial aid awards will be adjusted and you will receive a revised award letter or notification. First time freshmen are sent a financial aid award letter via U.S. mail to the permanent address on file. In subsequent academic years, financial aid award letters will be sent through electronic notification via the student’s Texas A&M University email account if the student has agreed to conduct business electronically with Scholarships & Financial Aid. All other first time students will receive financial aid offer letters through electronic notification via the student’s Texas A&M University email account.

What are the consequences of not completing verification?
The verification process can delay processing of your aid, so please respond immediately to any requests from our department. Should you fail to submit all required documentation; financial aid will not be awarded and/or disbursed. If funds were disbursed prior to you being selected for verification, they may be cancelled if the requested documents are not submitted by the given deadline. 

Using the Data Retrieval Tool
If our office is required to verify information from a tax return used to complete the FAFSA, the easiest way to comply with this request is to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (IRS DRT) to electronically transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA. By using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you can reduce the number of documents needed to submit to our office.
Why use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?

• Easy: Transfer info with the click of a button
• Fast: Instantly retrieve your information
• Accurate: Correctly fill in data fields
• Reduces amount of documents needing to be submitted to our office.

For more information on how to transfer your tax information onto your FAFSA please visit studentaid.ed.gov/sa/resources/irs-drt-text. 

IRS Tax Transcript
If our office is required to verify information from a tax return used to complete the FAFSA and you cannot use IRS Data Retrieval, you can request a return transcript using Get Transcript at irs.gov/Individuals/Get-Transcript.

For more information on IRS Tax Transcript availability dates, please visit the tax transcript chart.
 
If you filed a tax filing extension
If our office is required to verify information from a tax return and you or your parent(s) filed a tax filing extension please submit a completed IRS Form 4868-Application for Automatic Extension of time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return.  In addition, please submit all W-2 forms. You may also be required to submit additional forms/documents that will be requested in your Financial Aid Portal.
*Please do not submit any prior years IRS Tax Return Transcript/Tax Returns or any prior years W-2 forms.
 
After you have completed and filed your tax return with the IRS you will be required to either:

• Update the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
• Or submit a signed copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript(s)

The deadline to file an IRS Tax Return with an Application for Automatic Extension of time to File U.S. Individual Income Tax Return is October 17, 2016.  The deadline to either update the FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool or submit the finalized tax return transcript to our office is November 1, 2016.  Failure to comply by the deadline will result in cancellation of aid and possible holds on your account.

Additional Documentation

During and/or after Verification completion further documents could be requested due to Department of Education requirements needed for the verification process. Remember to always check your Scholarships & Financial Aid portal for the status of your financial aid account and to view and requested documents.

You may be required to submit additional documentation even though you have not been selected for verification. These documents may include but are not limited to citizenship/eligible non-citizen status, veteran status, high school completion and/or documentation of independent student status. If requested, please submit the additional documentation immediately to the department to avoid delaying your aid. Remember to always check your Scholarships & Financial Aid portal for the status of your financial aid account. You can access the portal by visiting howdy.tamu.edu, clicking on the My Finances tab, and entering the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal.

How can I submit requested documentation?
In an effort to protect your confidential and personally identifiable information (i.e. social security number, tax information), Scholarships & Financial Aid accepts documents submitted via fax, postal mail, in-person, or via the Howdy Portal. The Howdy Portal may be accessed via howdy.tamu.edu by clicking on the My Finances tab, and entering the Scholarships & Financial Aid Portal. Documents may not be submitted via email. Please include your UIN on all of the documents submitted.