Applying for federal student aid is one of the most important steps in figuring out how to pay for college. While filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form can be daunting, knowing what information you need ahead of time can help.
Below is a list of all the questions you’ll be asked to answer on the FAFSA. You can use this as a guide to help you gather any documents or information you need before sitting down to complete the form.
100+ questions on the FAFSA
Number
Question
Question 1
Your last name
Question 2
Your first name
Question 3
Your middle initial
Question 4
Your permanent mailing address
Question 5
Your city
Question 6
Your state
Question 7
Your ZIP code
Question 8
Your Social Security Number
Question 9
Your date of birth
Question 10
Your telephone number
Question 11
Your driver’s license number
Question 12
Your driver’s license state
Question 13
Your e-mail adress
Question 14
Are you a U.S. citizen
Question 15
Your Alien registration number
Question 16
What is your marital status?
Question 17
Month and year you were married, separated, divorced, or widowed
Question 18
What is your state of legal residence?
Question 19
Did you become a legal resident of your state before January 1, 2014?
Question 20
Month and year you became a legal resident
Question 21
Are you male or female?
Question 22
Do you want us to register you with the Selective Service System?
Question 23
Have you been convicted for the possession or sale of illegal drugs for an offense that occurred while you were receiving federal student aid (grants, work-study, and/or loans)?
Question 24 and 25
Highest school your parent completed
Question 26
What will your high school completion status be when you begin college in the 2019–2020 school year?
Question 27
Student’s High School Name, City, and State
Question 28
Will you have your first bachelor’s degree before you begin the 2019–2020 school year?
Question 29
What will your college grade level be when you begin the 2019–2020 school year?
Question 30
What degree or certificate will you be working on when you begin the 2019– 2020 school year?
Question 31
Are you interested in being considered for work- study?
Question 32
Have you completed a 2017 income tax return?
Question 33
What income tax return did you file or will you file for 2017?
Question 34
For 2017, what is or will be your tax filing status according to your tax return?
Question 35
Were you eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ?
Question 36
What was your adjusted gross income for 2017?
Question 37
What was your income tax for 2017?
Question 38
How many exemptions did you claim?
Question 39
How much did you earn from working in 2017?
Question 40
How much did your spouse earn from working in 2017?
Question 41
What is the total current balance of your cash, savings, and checking accounts?
Question 42
What is the net worth of your investments?
Question 43
What is the net worth of your current businesses and/or investment farms?
Question 44
a) What were your total education credits? b) How much total child support did you pay? c) What were your taxable earnings from need-based employment programs? d) How much taxable college grant or scholarship aid did you report to the IRS as income? e) How much combat pay or special combat pay did you report in your AGI? f) What were your earnings from work under a Cooperative Education Program offered by a college?
Question 45
a) What were your total tax-deferred pension payments? b) How much did you pay to your IRA or Keogh? c) How much total child support did you receive? d) What was your total tax-exempt interest income? e) What were your total untaxed portions of IRA distributions? f) What were your total untaxed portions of pensions? g) What were your total allowances received? h) What were your total veterans noneducation benefits? i) What was the total of your other untaxed income or benefits?j) What other money has been paid on your behalf?
Question 46
Were you born before January 1, 1996?
Question 47
Are you married?
Question 48
At the beginning of the 2019–2020 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.?)
Question 49
Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
Question 50
Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
Question 51
Do you now have or will you have children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2019 and June 30, 2020?
Question 52
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, 2020?
Question 53
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?
Question 54
As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?
Question 55
Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
Question 56
At any time on or after July 1, 2018, 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?
Question 57
At any time on or after July 1, 2018, 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?
Question 58
At any time on or after July 1, 2018, 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?
Question 59
As of today, what is the marital status of your parents?
Question 60
Month and year your parents were married, separated, divorced, or widowed
Question 61 and 65
Parent’s Social Security Number
Question 62 and 66
Parent’s last name
Question 63 and 67
Parent’s first initial
Question 64 and 68
Parent’s date of birth
Question 69
Your parent’s e-mail address
Question 70
What is your parents’ state of legal residence?
Question 71
Did your parents become legal residents of their state before January 1, 2014?
Question 72
Month and year your parents became legal residents
Question 73
Your parents’ number of family members in 2019–2020 (household size)
Question 74
How many people in your parents’ household will be college students in 2019–2020?
Question 75 to 79
Parents Received Medicaid/Supplemental Security Income/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Free or Reduced Price School Lunch/Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF)/Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children?
Question 80
Have your parents completed a 2017 income tax return?
Question 81
What type of income tax return did your parents file or will they file for 2017?
Question 82
For 2017, what is or will be your parents’ tax filing status according to their tax return?
Question 83
Were your parents eligible to file a 1040A or 1040EZ?
Question 84
Is either of your parents a dislocated worker?
Question 85
What was your parents’ adjusted gross income for 2017?
Question 86
What was your parents’ total income tax for 2017?
Question 87
How many exemptions did your parents claim?
Question 88 and 89
How much did your parent earn from working in 2017?
Question 90
What is the total current balance of your parents’ cash, savings, and checking accounts?
Question 91
What is the net worth of your parents’ investments?
Question 92
What is the net worth of your parents’ current businesses and/or investment farms?
Question 93
a) What were your parents’ total education credits? b) How much total child support did your parents pay? c) What were your parents’ taxable earnings from need-based employment programs? d) How much taxable college grant or scholarship aid did your parents report to the IRS as Income? e) How much combat pay or special combat pay did your parents report in their AGI? f) What were your parents’ earnings from work under a Cooperative Education Program offered by a college?
Question 94
a) What were your parents’ total tax-deferred pension payments? b) How much did your parents pay to their IRA or Keogh? c) How much total child support did your parents receive? d) What was your parents’ total tax-exempt interest income? e) What were your parents’ total untaxed portions of IRA distributions? f) What were your parents’ total untaxed portions of pensions? g) What were your parents’ total allowances received? h) What were your parents’ total veterans noneducation benefits? i) What was the total of your parents’ other untaxed income or benefits?
Question 95
Your number of family members in 2019–2020 (household size
Question 96
How many people in your household will be in college in 2019–2020?
Question 97 to 101
Students Received Medicaid, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Free or Reduced Price School Lunch, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Compiling all of the information you need before sitting down to fill out the FAFSA can make for a smoother application process. The government recommends submitting the FAFSA as soon as you can, since many states provide aid on a first-come, first-served basis. The federal deadline for the 2019-2020 academic year was June 30, 2020, but check to see if your state has their own deadline as well.
Already sent in your form and want to learn more about how to pay for college? Read our guide to student loans to compare federal versus private loans, interest rates and repayment options.
Who is most likely to be researching FAFSA questions?
Finder data suggests that women aged 18-24 are most likely to be researching this topic.
Response
Male (%)
Female (%)
65+
3.16%
3.24%
55-64
5.21%
6.25%
45-54
8.66%
11.57%
35-44
7.37%
11.14%
25-34
7.23%
8.59%
18-24
11.90%
15.67%
Source: Finder sample of 2,782 visitors using demographics data from Google Analytics
Frequently asked questions
According to the Federal Student Aid website, if you answer Yes to either of the dependency questions (52 and 53), then you’re considered independent and not required to answer questions about your parents.
You might want to anyway, though. Many colleges and states require information about your parents to determine how much aid you qualify for.
Yes, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 800-433-3243 for help filling out the FAFSA. Representatives are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET and weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
If you, your spouse or your parents meet certain income and tax conditions, you may be able to skip questions related to your assets. However, some states might require you to answer those questions in order to determine eligibility for state aid.
If you, your spouse or your parents meet certain income and tax conditions, you may be able to skip questions related to your assets. However, some states might require you to answer those questions in order to determine eligibility for state aid.
Yes. However, the FSA saves all of the information you entered the first time around, so you likely won’t need to answer all of these questions over again. You can check out our guide to renewing the FAFSA to find out what details you might need to update.
Ezra Wolfgang is a video producer at Finder, helping people compare providers to choose the best for their needs. Prior to joining Finder, Ezra interned on the assignment desk at ABC News in New York, where he helped find, develop and write breaking news stories. Ezra earned a BA in media studies from Hunter College, taking a healthy dose of courses in film and documentary production, print and digital reporting and studio television. In his spare time, Ezra goes on the occasional run, takes photos, writes scripts and shoots his own tiny, short films.
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