• FAFSA & Immigrant Families

    DACA Students

    1. DACA students can use their SSN to complete FAFSA
    2. Important to not misrepresent your status & should select “No, I am not a US citizen or eligible non-citizen.”
    3. Students will receive a rejection letter because they do not qualify for aid. But can still use your EFC to show need for scholarships. 

    Undocumented Students

    1. It is not recommended that Undocumented students fill out the FAFSA. Undocumented students should not submit anything to FAFSA regarding their status.
    2. “Need” for scholarships can be determined through alternative ways. For example, FAFSA4Caster.

    Students with Undocumented Parents/Guardians

    The following steps apply only to students who are eligible to receive federal financial aid (e.g. U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents).

    1. Students should complete their portion of FAFSA.
    2. If parents/guardians are undocumented, list Social Security Number on FAFSA application as all zeros “000-00-0000.”
      • List all zeros even if an ITIN or SSN was used.
    3. For questions about taxes:
      • If parents/guardians did not file taxes, select "will not file". You’ll be asked for information about how much your parent earned from work, rather than being asked for information about specific items on the tax form. Parents might be prompted to complete tax return.
      • If parent/guardians filed or will file taxes , select "tax return already completed" or "will file."
      • Free tax assistance can be found at, https://irs.treasury.gov/freetaxprep/
    4. Parents/guardians' income must be entered manually because they will not be able to use the IRS Tax Data Retrieval Tool.
    5. Parents/guardians cannot create an FSAID. They must print, sign, and mail ONLY the signature page.
      • If the signature page can take up to six weeks to process. The FAFSA is not considered a completed FAFSA until the signature page has been processed.
      • Check the status of a signature page and form submission by logging in to fafsa.ed.gov periodically.
    6. It is very likely that a student’s FAFSA will be selected for verification at a college/university financial aid office
      • The family will be required to provide a form(s) listed on the To Do List on the student portal for each college/university.