Tips for Filling Out the FAFSA

We recommend you file over the Internet at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov

1. Create and use a personal identification number (PIN) which will serve as your electronic signature. http://www.pin.ed.gov Once you successfully completed the request for a PIN, the Department of Education will e-mail or mail your PIN. It will take approximately three business days after you request your PIN for you to receive an e-mail notification with instructions on how to retrieve it electronically, or 7-10 days to receive it in the mail via the U.S. Postal Service.
2. You will need records of income earned in the year prior to when you will start school. You may also need records of your parent's income information if you are a dependent student. For the 2006-2007 and 2007-2008 school year, you will need financial information from 2005 (for 2006-2007 aid year) and 2006 (for 2007-2008 aid year). You will need to refer to:
   • Your Social Security Number (can be found on Social Security card)
   • Your driver's license (if any)
   • Your 2005 (for 2006-2007) and 2006 (for 2007-2008) W-2 Forms and other records of money earned
   • Your (and your spouse's, if you are married) 2005 and/or 2006 Federal Income Tax Return - IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, 1040Telefile, foreign tax return, or tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia.
   • Your parent(s) 2005 and/or 2006 Federal Income Tax Return (if you are a dependent student)
   • Your 2005 and/or 2006 untaxed income records - Social Security, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, welfare, or veteran's benefits records.
   • Your bank statements
   • Your business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond, and other investment records.
   • Your alien registration card (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
3. Once you have received your personal identification number (PIN) complete the online Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at http://www.fafsa.ed.gov. You will need The Art Institute of Colorado federal school code 013961.

Involve other family members who must provide information. Your parent(s) will need to complete the parent section of the form if you are classified as a "dependent" student for federal financial aid purposes.

Remember to sign the form; if you apply through FAFSA on the Web, you will need to print, sign, and mail the signature page. (If you do not have a printer, the signature page will be mailed to you.) A parent must also sign if they contributed information to the form.

Determine Your Dependancy Status:

If you answer "yes" to any of the questions below, you are considered an independent student for federal financial aid purposes and your parents will not need to answer the parent questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

If you answer "no" to all of these questions, you are considered a dependent student for federal financial aid purposes and your parents will need to answer the parent questions on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

1. Were you born before January 1, 1983? (For the academic year 2006-07)
   Were you born before January 1, 1984? (For the academic year 2007-08)
2. Are you married?
3. Do you have children who receive more than half of their support from you?
4. Do you have legal dependents who live with you and receive more than half of their support from you (other than a spouse or children)?
5. Are you an orphan?
6. Were you a ward of the court until age 18?
7. Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?