FAFSA - Wingate University FAFSA The FAFSA form was significantly changed effective with the 2024-2025 application.  See important updates below before completing the FAFSA application. FAFSA Release Date Who completes/signs the FAFSA? FSA ID Retrieve your tax information from the IRS Goodbye "Expected Family Contribution (EFC)", Hello "Student Aid Index (SAI)" Provisional Independent Status Additional things to consider: The 2026-2027 FAFSA form will officially open October 1, 2025. Opens in new window PDF Download Word Download Excel Download PowerPoint Download Document Download The FAFSA Form will be completed by a “Contributor”, which refers to anyone asked to provide information on a FAFSA.  The answers provided by the student will determine each contributor (such as parents or spouse) who will need to provide their information.  The student will need to provide each contributor’s name, date of birth, social security number, and email address on the FAFSA Form. Contributors will receive an invitation to complete their portion of the FAFSA form and sign electronically using their FSA ID. Each student and contributor will need to have an FSA ID to complete and sign the FAFSA Form.  If you and your parent/spouse have a social security number, sign up for your FSA ID today so you are ready for the FAFSA! Parent/spouse contributors without a social security number are eligible to apply for an FSA ID. Click here for next steps! Contributors will give consent to transfer their IRS tax information through the IRS Direct Data Exchange (DDX).  This should reduce questions for you and your family while completing the FAFSA form! Please note that the student and all contributors will be required to provide consent on the FAFSA form.  This will apply to all contributors, regardless of your tax filing status. Each student who completes the FAFSA form will receive an SAI, previously known as the EFC.  The Financial Aid Office will use the SAI to determine your eligibility for Federal, State, and Institutional financial aid funds. Homeless, orphaned, foster youth, and unaccompanied youth—as well as applicants who cannot provide parental information because of unusual circumstances—will be able to complete the FAFSA and receive a provisional independent status.   The Financial Planning Office will request supporting documentation before approving your status as an independent student.  Once approved, your status will be renewed in subsequent years if your circumstance remains unchanged. Students can send the FAFSA to up to 20 colleges and universities The student can view the status of the FAFSA form and their contributor’s application progress, on their FSA Account The FAFSA form sent to the student, formerly called the Student Aid Report (SAR), will now be known as the FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS). A demographic survey will be added to the new FAFSA form with questions about the student’s race, ethnicity, and gender. The survey will not impact the student’s eligibility for aid and will be used only for statistical purposes. Direct Unsub Loan Only FSA ID Contributor Information Amount of Grants, Scholarships or AmeriCorps Benefits If your parent is willing to provide their information to the FAFSA, the answer to this question will be “NO”. If your parent is unwilling to provide their information to the FAFSA, the answer to this question will be “YES” (Additional verification will be required; watch the video below for more info!) Parents will occasionally receive the invitation via email but are not able to access the invitation when they log in to their FAFSA at studentaid.gov . This is likely because there is a mismatch somewhere in the students invitation to the parent. The FSA ID on the student invitation must exactly match the information listed in the parent’s studentaid.gov account. (Check for spaces, hyphens, punctuation, etc.) The address on the student invitation will need to match exactly with the address listed in the parent’s studentaid.gov account. (Example: Road vs Rd. or 100 S. vs 100 South) Most students and parents will need to enter “0” for this question. An amount should only be reported if the amount of grants and scholarships received was reported as taxable income on the return ( these amounts are typically found on Schedule 1 lines 8r and 8z). To determine if an amount other than “0” should be reported, please reference here Who is my Parent (Contributor) on the FAFSA? Legal parents are biological or adoptive (regardless of gender), or as determined by the state (for example, if the parent is listed on the birth certificate). Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, widowed stepparents, aunts, uncles, and siblings are not considered parents on the FAFSA form unless they have legally adopted the student. Please note: A stepparent is considered a legal parent only if they have adopted the student. Stepparents that have not adopted the student will be identified as parent spouse. Use the Department of Education’s new tool to help determine who should be listed as your FAFSA contributor! Visit the Net Price Calculator