Aid Readiness Checklist

Financial aid rewards patience more than math, and most of the work is gathering the right things before you ever open the form. This checklist asks two quick questions—whether you’re likely a dependent or independent student, and whether you’re applying for the first time or renewing—then builds a prep list that fits. Dependent students see the parent steps; renewing students skip the first-time setup and pick up the change-of-circumstance steps instead.

Tick items as you go and your progress is saved in this browser, so you can close the tab and come back to it. The print button gives you a clean copy for the fridge or a folder. Two limits worth keeping in mind: the FAFSA asks for tax information from two years before the school year you’re applying for, so confirm the exact year on StudentAid.gov; and this is preparation, not the application itself. The real FAFSA is always free at studentaid.gov.