Applying for Financial Aid

Filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

For Spring 2021 or Summer 2021 you will need to complete the 2020-2021 FAFSA. 

For Fall 2021, Spring 2022 and Summer 2022 you will need to complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2021-2022 academic year will be available October 1. Students and families will use income tax information from two years prior to complete the application.

• For 2021-2022 HSSU’s priority date for filing the FAFSA will be February 1, 2021.

• The 2021-2022 FAFSA will require use of 2019 tax information.

• Students who qualify are strongly encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import tax information directly to the FAFSA. Using this tool should streamline the verification process should you be chosen.  

 If you have additional questions regarding the 2021-2022 FAFSA, please contact us with your question.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must have a high school diploma or General Educational Development (GED) certificate or completed a high school education in a homeschool setting approved under state law
• Be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a regular student in an eligible degree or certificate program
• Males must be registered with Selective Service (must register between the ages of 18 and 25)
• Must be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen
• Must maintain Satisfactory Academic Progress
• Cannot be in default on any federal student loan and do not owe a refund on a federal grant

How to Apply for Financial Aid

To review our printable checklist, click here. 

Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID)

STEP ONE:  Apply for your Federal Student Aid Indentification (FSA ID). An FSA ID is comprised of a username and password and can be used to login to certain Federal Student Aid websites, such as the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).  This also acts as your electronic signature for Federal Student Aid documents.  

If you are a parent and need to electronically sign your child’s FAFSA, you need your own FSA ID. If you have more than one child attending college, you can use the same FSA ID to sign their applications.

If your FSA ID is lost or stolen, you must:

• Contact Federal Student Aid’s Customer Service center at 1-800-433-3243,
• Update your username and password by selecting Edit My FSA ID, or
• Disable your FSA ID so that no one can use it by selecting Edit My FSA ID and selecting Disable My FSA ID

STEP TWO:  Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online at FAFSA.gov and include our school code (002466) for the academic year in which financial aid is sought. Students who qualify are strongly encouraged to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to import tax information directly to the FAFSA. Using this tool should streamline the verification process should you be chosen.  

• If you are a new student please contact the Office of Financial Assistance five to seven business days after receiving a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the student-aid processing center by calling us at (314) 340-3500 or by email at FinancialAssistance@hssu.edu to see if your application has been received.
• If you are a returning/continuing student please check your Hornet email five to seven business days after submitting your renewed/updated FAFSA to review your Financial Aid status update notification email.  

STEP THREE: Complete any required documents listed in your notification email. Documents for the upcoming academic year are updated by the start date of registration for the fall semester and are available right here at this website under "Forms". 

• Once your documents have been submitted please allow the Financial Assistance office three to five business days to process your documents and generate your Financial Aid package. You will receive a final financial aid status update via email informing you that your award letter is ready for review

Verification

The Department of Education selects about 30 percent of applications for a process called verification.  When an application is selected for verification students must provide HSSU Financial Assistance Office with documentation to verify the information reported on the FAFSA.  Student may be required to verify any or all of the following elements. 

• Household size and number in college. This information can be reported on the Verification Worksheet.
• Tax information including adjusted gross income (AGI), U.S. income taxes paid, education credits, untaxed portions of IRA distributions, untaxed portions of pensions, IRA deductions and payments, tax-exempt interest income, and income earned from work. If you or your parent;s did not file you must submit an IRS verification of non-filing letter and W2's.  How to get federal income information
• High school completion status
• Identity/statement of educational purpose

In addition, when a FAFSA is filed the Department of Education runs a number of matches against other goverment databases.  If they fail to match information you have reported you may also need to provide verification items such as.  

• Social Security number
• Citizenship 
• Immigration status
• Selective Service registration
• Veteran status

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my income is significantly different than it was in 2019?

If you had significant loss of income, divorce in your family, loss of a family member or other extenuating circumstances not reflected in your 2019 tax return, you must file your FAFSA according to your 2019 tax information and then contact the Office of Financial Assistance. Through a process called professional judgement adjustments may be possible to better reflect your current financial situation.

Will I get my financial aid package earlier if I file earlier? 

Incoming students who file a 2021-2022 FAFSA between October 1 and February 1 will receive a financial aid package by the end of February. This will allow more time to review and compare awards before the May 1 admissions deadline.

Enrolled students who file a 2021-2022 FAFSA between October 1 and February 1 will receive financial aid packages as usual in late spring AFTER registration is complete. 

If I file by the priority date and I received need-based aid last year, will I receive the same financial aid package again this year? 

Many factors can impact whether you receive the same financial aid resources from year to year, including a change in income, number of family members in your household, number of students in college, etc. Institutional funding levels also are subject to change, as are criteria used to award funding each year. Filing by the priority date each year is the best way to position yourself for the most financial aid resources you might be eligible to receive.

How is dependency status determined for financial aid?

The FAFSA asks specific questions to determine your dependency status for financial aid. Generally, dependency determination is based on the following information:

• Your age (24 or older is considered "Independent")
• Your marital status
• Whether you have children or dependents who live with you and/or receive more than half of their support from you
• If you are currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces
• If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces
• If at any time after you turned age 13, both of your parents were deceased, you were in foster care, or you were a dependent or ward of the court
• If you have been determined to be an emancipated minor by a court in your state of legal residence
• If you were or are in legal guardianship, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence
• If you were homeless or self-supporting and at risk of being homeless

Students who are determined to be dependent must provide parent income data on the FAFSA and a parent must sign the FAFSA using their own FSA ID.  Please note that documentation to support any of the above responses may be requested by the Office of Financial Assistance.

• For unresolved disputes regarding any federal student aid program please contact the US Department of Education Ombudsman.