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Financial Aid and Scholarships

FAFSA

A new FAFSA is available each year on October 1. You must fill out a new FAFSA each year to get aid. To be fully considered for all financial aid resources, complete your FAFSA and turn in any forms to our office by April 1. While all students are encouraged to submit a FAFSA, the FAFSA is not required for general university scholarships or state scholarships.

Filing Your FAFSA: Easy as 1, 2, 3

Each year's FAFSA is used for fall, spring and summer terms. The 2023-24 FAFSA includes the terms: Fall 2023, Spring 2024, and Summer 2024.

Follow the steps below to help you do your FAFSA.

Your Federal Student Aid ID is a username and password that lets you see your FAFSA records and sign your FAFSA online. Keep track of your username and password. Store it in a secure location. You will use the same FSA ID every year you apply for aid. Only one FSA ID and FAFSA application are needed per student, even if you are applying to more than one school.
Create your new FSA ID »

The FAFSA is free and available online at StudentAid.gov. You can turn it in any time after Oct. 1 each year you want aid. As you do your FAFSA, take the time to read all instructions carefully and be as accurate as possible. The FAFSA is needed for most types of aid that we offer. The school code is 003448.

Learn more info about the FAFSA »

Incoming transfer students for the spring or summer semesters must  add our school code 003448 to their FAFSA, so that we can receive the FAFSA results. 

We regularly communicate with you about your financial aid status through the Financial Aid Dashboard and USC email. Please check both often. Sometimes more information or action is needed before we can award you.

To see if anything is needed, follow these steps:

  1. Login to the Financial Aid Dashboard.
  2. Check student requirements on the "Home" tab of the Financial Aid Dashboard.
  3. Review your requirements and act quickly.

A delay can not only cost you time but also aid. We want you to be as prepared as possible for your journey here at USC.

Learn more about an unsatisfied requirement for verification »

Frequently Asked Questions about the FAFSA

To make corrections to your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), click the Login button on the home page and log into FAFSA on the Web, and then click Make FAFSA Corrections.

When correcting your FAFSA, you can:

  • Add or remove colleges from your application
  • Change your email or mailing address
  • Correct any field in your FAFSA other than your Social Security Number (SSN)

If you filed a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) using an incorrect Social Security Number (SSN), you have two options:

  1. You can submit a new FAFSA online with the correct SSN. In many cases, this is the easiest and fastest option. Submitting a new FAFSA will change your submitted/processed date, though, so be sure you won't miss a state or school deadline by doing so.
  2. You can correct the SSN. There are two ways to do this. You can change your SSN on a paper Student Aid Report (SAR) (see below) and mail in the correction, which takes several weeks. Or, you can ask the financial aid office at one of the colleges listed on your SAR to change it for you.

If you filed a FAFSA with a correct SSN but incorrect name or date of birth (DOB), you will not be able to make a correction online because your FAFSA information will not match your FSA ID information.

To correct your name or DOB when your SSN is correct, you can:

  1. Change your name or DOB on a paper Student Aid Report (SAR), or
  2. Ask the financial aid office at one of the colleges listed on your SAR to change it for you.

If you need a paper SAR, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center to request a copy be mailed to you.

If you can answer "no" to all of the following questions, generally your parents must provide parental information on your FAFSA:

  • Were you born before January 1, 1999?

  • As of today are you married?

  • At the beginning of the 2022-2023 school year, will you be working on a master’s or doctorate program (such as an MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, or graduate certificate, etc.)?

  • Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?

  • Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?

  • Do you now have or will you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2022 and June 30, 2023?

  • Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2023?

  • At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care or were you a dependent or ward of the court?

    • If you are not sure if you were in foster care, check with your state child welfare agency. You can find out the contact information for your state child welfare agency by visiting your state child welfare agency.

  • As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?

  • Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?

  • At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

  • At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of an emergency shelter or transitional housing program funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

  • At any time on or after July 1, 2021, did the director of a runaway or homeless youth basic center or transitional living program determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?

If you answered "no" to all of the questions but you have a special circumstance that may prevent you from providing parental information, contact our office to speak with a counselor.

A legal parent includes a biological or adoptive parent, or a person that the state has determined to be your parent. Grandparents, foster parents, legal guardians, older brothers or sisters, widowed stepparents, and aunts and uncles are not considered parents unless they have legally adopted you.

 


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