FAFSA

The first step in applying for financial aid is submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Submit your FAFSA 

FAFSA is used to apply for federal, state and Purdue-based student-aid programs. Even if you think you may not receive need-based financial funding, it doesn’t hurt to submit a FAFSA. Purdue’s Federal School Code is 001825. 

The FAFSA opens each year on October 1. Students who submit a FAFSA prior to April 15 will receive the maximum amount of consideration for financial aid. You may still submit a FAFSA after April 15, but some types of aid may no longer be available.  

Before completing your FAFSA, you’ll need to create a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. If parents are helping in the aid process, make sure one of them registers for an FSA ID too.

Submit Your FAFSA

When You’ll Hear Back

Newly Admitted Students 

  • If you submit your FAFSA by early February and have completed all requirements, you can anticipate your financial aid notification near early March.  
  • If you submit your FAFSA after February 1 but before April 15, you can anticipate your financial aid notification within approximately 2 weeks.  

Returning Students 

  • Expect to receive your financial aid notifications in mid-June. 

What You’ll Need

  • Visit the FAFSA website for a full list of information you’ll want to gather before you begin.  

View helpful tips from the Federal Student Aid resources to help prepare your answers before entering them online. 

What You’ll Do

  • Go to Federal Student Aid, select Complete the FAFSA Form and click Start Here, then login using your FSA-ID. 
  • Input the requested information. 
  • Be sure to enter Federal School Code 001825 to allow your information to be sent to Purdue University West Lafayette. 

Tips: 

  • Submitting your FAFSA on time ensures that you are considered for all available aid that applies to you. Submitting it late may result in less aid being available to you. 
  • If you start attending school in the spring, you should complete the FAFSA for the current year. If you start in the summer, you should complete the FAFSA for the upcoming year.  
  • You can apply for financial aid prior to applying for admission to Purdue. However, you must be admitted to a degree-seeking program (or a teacher’s certification program) before eligibility is calculated to receive financial aid. 
  • If you are eligible, we highly encourage you to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool within the FAFSA to update the information after taxes have been filed. Information will be transferred from the IRS directly into the FAFSA with this option. 
  • We recommend printing the “FAFSA on the Web” submission confirmation page as proof of completion. Keep this in your records. 
  • One of the most requested documents is a tax transcript. Get your tax return transcript from the IRS. 
  • If you have any FAFSA filing questions, you can contact FAFSA customer service agents at 800-433-3243, get online help or you can check out Federal Student Aid’s YouTube Channel for short, informational videos on the process.