Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an online form that students complete each year to determine eligibility for federal financial aid.
The FAFSA may be filled out by domestic students who are either US citizens or permanent residents only.
Below you will find information to help guide you through the process of filling out the FAFSA, as well what to expect after you’ve completed this form.
- Before you begin, collect any current financial documents you might have such as bank statements, the most recent tax return filed, and your W-2 forms. If you have not already filed your tax return, you should first complete this step as you will need information from that form in order to fill out the FAFSA completely.
- If you don’t already have your Federal Student Aid ID, first create one online here. This is needed not only to electronically sign the FAFSA, but for other financial aid documents that will be filled out later. If you have an FSA ID and have forgotten your password, it can be reset on the same site. If you previously established an FSA PIN, you can link it to your new FSA ID.
- Log in to the FAFSA application online using your FSA ID. The FAFSA application is available after October 15 each year. For about the first half of the calendar year you will see the option to select between two FAFSA years. If you’re not sure which one to complete, please contact the Financial Aid Office.
- Select 002707 as the FAFSA code for Columbia University in the City of New York. This code enables the school to view the FAFSA information. There is no code specific to Columbia Business School.
- Make sure to electronically sign your FAFSA using your FSA ID and submit the form. Your information will be sent to the School, but it will be incomplete if this last step is skipped. This step can easily be completed by logging back in to the FAFSA site.
- The FAFSA takes between 5-7 days processing time, after which you will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR). This will be sent to you by email if a valid email address was provided on your FAFSA form. Check the SAR for any errors and make corrections if needed. To make corrections, log in to the FAFSA site and click on the link to Make FAFSA Corrections.
- Columbia Business School will receive the FAFSA electronically; however, the Financial Aid Office will only review FAFSAs for admitted and currently enrolled students.
- Renew the FAFSA for each academic year during which you wish to borrow federal loans.