Gateways for...

Anyone wishing to apply for federal loans or grants (and state aid, including LTG), must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

A FAFSA will need to be filled out for each award year that you want to apply for financial aid. An award year runs from July 1st of one year to June 30th of the following year. The initial step in this process is to determine which FAFSA you will need to complete.

In order to ensure the most timely processing of your FAFSA, it is necessary that you first register for you Personal Identification Number (PIN) online at the Department of Education's PIN registration site.

Click Button to Apply for PIN #

Once you have your Pin #, please apply for the FAFSA below.

The FAFSA website may allow you to sign your FAFSA at the time of completion if you choose to sign with a PIN # that you pick. You may obtain additional information at www.studentaid.ed.gov.

* If you are a dependent student your parents will also need a PIN #. 

Click Button to fill out the 09-10 FAFSA

 Tips for Completing the FAFSA

• A tutorial on the FAFSA is offered here.

• You may want to complete the FAFSA on the Web Pre-Application Worksheet for practice.

• Answer all questions. If the answer is zero, be sure to fill in a zero. Missing information will cause delays in financial aid processing.

• Montreat College's institutional code is 002948.

• Be sure to remember to e-sign your FAFSA using your PIN number - signing electronically will speed up the processing of your financial aid package and subsequent award acceptance.

• Be sure you have successfully completed your FAFSA submission. You will receive an e-mail confirmation if you have submitted the FAFSA correctly. You do not need to fax or email us a copy of your FAFSA as it will be automatically sent to our office.

• Those students who have previously completed a FAFSA and know their PIN number can elect to complete the abbreviated Renewal FAFSA on the web. If this applies, you will have the option to sign your FAFSA electronically.

• A 2008 federal tax return should be used for the 2009-2010 FAFSA.

• If you are married but filed separately, add each of your sections from the tax returns together before entered your total for each question.If you have questions regarding filling out your FAFSA, you can go to www.studentaid.ed.gov or call 800-433-3243.

  
  You should have a copy of your and your parent's/spouse's federal income tax returns (1040, 1040EZ, etc) when completing your FAFSA.
  
  * If you are a dependent student, your parents will need their returns to fill out the parental section of the FAFSA and sign it with their PIN#.

Finding and Completing FAFSA on the Web

The following instructions will assist you when using the U.S. Department of Education's FAFSA website www.fafsa.ed.gov. This step will take approximately 30 minutes to complete.  You may want to print this page prior to proceeding to the FAFSA site.

• Upon entering the site, you should notice the three columns with the numbers 1, 2, 3 shown in back of text.
• Column 2, entitled "Filling out a FAFSA," is where you will look to begin.
• Select the top option, "Fill out a FAFSA," to begin. (Students who are reapplying and have a PIN# can choose "Fill out a Renewal FAFSA.")
• Scroll roughly two thirds of the way down the page until you see a black bar running across the screen. In this bar, printed in white letters you will see the question: "Which FAFSA do you wish to file?" It is just below the bar where you will make your selection.
• Do not go to FAFSA.com! This site will charge a fee. Go to www.fafsa.ed.gov instead, which is free.
• For a Financial Aid calculator, you may go to www.finaid.org.
• Upon selecting your award year and clicking "next," you will be taken to that year's specific page. Simply follow the instructions shown, and return to this website when you are done.

Completing the FAFSA over the Phone

• Indicate to CSR that you would like to fill out your FAFSA over the phone. Have the necessary information ready. (See Help Sheet)
• CSR inputs data into online FAFSA and submits for processing. The process generally takes 25–30 minutes. CSR will supply you with a confirmation number for future use.
• You will receive the Student Aid Report (SAR) in the mail 7–10 days after you apply. Review your information on the SAR for accuracy, and make changes if necessary. After reviewing your SAR, you (and your parent, if appropriate) must sign and mail your SAR as soon as possible to the address provided on the SAR.
• For more assistance regarding this process, please call 1-800-4-FED-AID.
• Be aware that this process will take longer for Financial Aid to receive your FAFSA information for awarding as it must go through the mail.
• You may access a FAFSA on the phone help sheet with this link.