Prospective Undergraduate Students
How to Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA)
Costs | Aid Programs | How to Apply for Aid (FAFSA) | How to Apply for Aid (DREAM) | After you Apply
School Code: 001144
Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) is the first step toward getting financial aid for college.
Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and quick, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college (Federal Student Aid). In addition, your FAFSA is used to determine your eligibility for California State and Cal Poly Pomona aid, and some scholarship providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their awards.
The FAFSA Application becomes available every October 1st – and the priority deadline for applying is March 2nd (for the 2022 – 2023 academic year only, the application became available October 1st, 2020 and the deadline to apply was extended to April 1st, 2022).
Complete the FAFSA at the same time as your admission application for 博88亚洲 – do not wait until you have been admitted.
If you miss the March 2nd FAFSA Priority Deadline, you will miss your opportunity to be considered for CA State and Cal Poly Pomona Institutional financial aid for the year.
FAQs
In order to be eligible for funding through the FAFSA Application, you must meet the citizenship eligibility criteria for Federal Student Aid:
- You must be a U.S. Citizen OR
- You must be an (i.e., Permanent Resident)
PLEASE NOTE: Students who received a Social Security Number through the Deferred Action of Childhood Arrival (DACA), and who qualify for AB540, should complete the California Dream Act Application in order to be considered for state financial aid, as they are NOT Eligible for Federal Student Aid.
In addition to citizenship status, you must meet the other for federal student aid. Review the information from for details.
Fact Sheets:
The FAFSA asks for important personal identification information as well as financial information. You may be asked to provide identification and financial information for your parents as well. Details about the type of information, and documents needed to complete the application are available from
You or your parents may be able to have your tax & income information imported directly from the IRS into your FAFSA. Learn more about providing financial information from .
Transferring Data from the IRS:
Additional Resources:
For FAFSA Applicants, you’ll need an , a username and password combination that allows you to sign your FAFSA electronically. If you are a dependent student you should also have your parent request an FSA ID.
You can get your FSA ID as you fill out the FAFSA, but getting an FSA ID before you begin the FAFSA could prevent processing delays, and it only takes a few minutes to apply. You can find out more information and .
All applicants for financial aid are considered either “independent” or “dependent.” Dependent students are required to include information about their parents on the application. By answering a few questions, you can get a good idea of which category you fit into. Visit on Dependency Status for information on the difference between a dependent and an independent student, and to determine your dependency status for financial aid purposes.
Fact Sheets:
- English Language:
- Spanish Language:
If you’re a dependent student, you’ll need to report parent information on your FAFSA. Visit Federal Student Aid’s page on to find out who counts as your parent, what to do if you don’t live with your parents, and what to do if you don’t have access to your parents’ financial information.
Who is Your Parent When You Fill Out the FAFSA:
Fact Sheets:
- English Language:
- Spanish Language:
In order to electronically sign your FAFSA, your parent(s) will need a valid Social Security Number in order to apply for an FSA ID. If your parent is not able to apply for an FSA ID, you can print a signature page by selecting Print Signature Page on the “My FAFSA” or “Signature Status” page. Visit for more details.
Your family is primarily responsible, to the extent they are able, for paying for your college expenses. Under very limited circumstances, an otherwise dependent student may be able to submit the FAFSA without parent information due to special circumstances.
In situations such as the ones below, you may be able to submit your application without parent information despite being considered a dependent student:
- Your parents are incarcerated.
- You have left home due to an abusive family environment.
- You do not know where your parents are and are unable to contact them (and you have not been
adopted). - You are older than 21 but not yet 24, are unaccompanied, and are either homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless.
The online application will ask you whether you are able to provide information about your parents. If you are not, you will have the option to indicate that you have special circumstances that make you unable to get your parents’ information. The site then allows you to submit your application without entering data about your parents.
Once you’ve submitted your FAFSA, you will need to reach out to our office to discuss your options. Be sure to gather as much information and supporting documentation about your situation as you can (legal documents; letters from a school counselor, a social worker, or clergy member; any other relevant information that helps document your special circumstance).
Fact Sheets:
Completing the FAFSA is not the last step; your FAFSA has to be processed, and then you get an Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which Cal Poly Pomona uses to figure out how much aid you can get. Find out more about , how to review your Student Aid Report and how to correct any errors.