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Financial Aid Application
Your first step towards an affordable education.
The financial aid process begins at Cal Poly Humboldt by filling out the financial aid application.
Any student interested in receiving financial assistance from the federal and/or state governments must submit a free application for aid for their eligibility to be determined. This includes all undergraduate, credential, and graduate students. We encourage you to apply every year to make sure you are receiving the maximum aid. CTAs
The FAFSA Application
The California priority filing date is March 2nd, 2025.
Please note: The 2025-2026 FAFSA form has been soft launched by Federal Student Aid. This form will be widely available beginning December 1st, 2024 to ensure a better application experience for students and families.
Information about support and planned pauses for the FAFSA can be found: https://studentaid.gov/h/announcements-events
New FAFSA Terminology for 2024-25
The Student Aid Index (SAI) will replace the Expected Family Contribution (EFC). This means that after the FAFSA is submitted students will now receive a SAI, which will be used to determine eligibility for various financial aid programs.
The size of the family will be based on the number of people claimed as exemptions on the tax forms. Household size reported by the student will not impact the eligibility determination.
This term is used for any person who reports data on the FAFSA application. Contributors can include students, spouses (if taxes are filed separately), and parents and/or stepparents of dependent students.
Each contributor will need to log into the FAFSA using their own FSA ID and will complete their section of the FAFSA separately.
- For example, a student is a Contributor and a parent who is required to contribute information on the FAFSA is also a Contributor. When the dependent student gets to the parent section of the application, the student will send an email invitation to the parent with a link in it. Using this link, the parent will log into the FAFSA using their FSA ID to complete the information needed from them.
Students do not need to wait for the Contributor to complete their section before moving on with their application.
Parents without Social Security Numbers will be able to create an FSA ID using other verification markers, with information about this process still being determined.
Starting with the 2024-25 cycle, the FAFSA Processing Center will work directly with the IRS to exchange direct tax information relevant to the financial aid application. To do this, all Contributors, regardless of filing status, must consent on the FAFSA application for the completion of the Direct Data Exchange. Once a Contributor has provided consent, they cannot revoke consent, and if consent is not provided, the application cannot be processed.
This term is used to replace the term “dependency status”.
- The parent with whom the student lived the most in the past 12 months prior to filing the FAFSA is no longer a criterion for divorced or separated parents.
- For divorced or separated parents, income and assets are reported for the parent who provides the most financial support over the 12 months prior for filing the FAFSA even if the student does not live with said parent.
