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What is Financial Aid?
Financial Aid is free money that students can utilize to help pay for the cost of college or career school to make higher education more affordable. Financial aid is available through federal, state, schools, and private sources. Federal and state money, as well as some school and private sources, require you to fill out a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), or if you are an undocumented student, the CADAA (California Dream Act Application).
The FAFSA is open to legal citizens across the country. The CADAA is only for undocumented students in California. To be eligible, students must have attended California schools for at least 3 years (it does not need to be consecutive years of attendance). Students must also live in California and meet the eligibility requirements of a non-resident exemption, and have a U Visa or TPS status.
What do I need to apply for Financial Aid?
In order to apply for Financial Aid, you will need to create a FSA ID first by clicking the following link. This ID will allow you to access the online application for Financial Aid as well as be used to sign all documents electronically.
What do I need to create a FSA ID?
Social Security Number- if you do not have a SSN, you will not be able to create a FSA ID and will need to complete the California Dream Act application instead. See below for details and information on how to apply to the California Dream Act
Full legal name- this will be the name that matches the name that is on your social security card
What do I need for my Financial Aid application?
Your application should only take you about 30 minutes if you have gathered everything you need ahead of time.
Your Social Security Number. If you do not have a SSN, you will complete the CADAA instead of the FAFSA
Full legal name
Parent's tax returns, if filed- for the class of 2023, this is their 2021 taxes. If they did not file, there is a place to indicate this on the form.
Parent's full legal name-must match names on tax information
Parent's Social Security Number- if parents do not have a SSN, put ONLY 000000000
Home address
Parent's phone number and email address
Parent's date of marriage if applicable (MM/DD/YYYY)
Once you have the items mentioned above, you can start the FAFSA here. If you need to fill out the CADAA instead, click https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
Below, you will find videos about applying for the FAFSA and the CADAA. Both will take you step-by-step through the individual forms. The FAFSA video is shorter (about 4 minutes), but the details are still adequate. The CADAA video is longer (about 20 minutes), but it is in Spanish and is a line-by-line walkthrough of the process. There are dozens of videos available on YouTube and other sources such as the Los Medanos College Financial Aid Department Website if you find that you still need help.
ou can find both forms as well as a TON of information here. You'll see many places where it will say that the deadline for filing is March 2nd. This deadline is for students headed straight to a 4-year college. Community college-bound students have until June 2nd.
If you are choosing NOT to fill out one of these forms, AUSD requires that we have an "Opt Out" form on file. You can pick one of these up in the office or you can use the files below to fill out the form and return it to the office or Email it to Ms. Disario