How to Find the Right Financial Aid Application Form
The first step in applying for financial aid is to determine which application you must complete. Follow the checklists below to choose the form that fits your situation.
Note: You’ll complete only one application — do not submit both!
Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Fill out this form if:
- You have a valid Social Security number. Your card cannot says “valid for work only with DHS authorization.”
- You are a U.S. citizen or an eligible non-citizen. To be considered an eligible non-citizen, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- U.S. permanent resident, with a Permanent Resident Card (formerly known as an Alien Registration Receipt Card or “Green Card”)
- Conditional permanent resident (I-551C)
- Other eligible noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: Refugee, Asylum Granted, Indefinite Parole, Humanitarian Parole, or Cuban-Haitian Entrant
- A citizen of the Republic of Palau (PW), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (MH), or the Federated States of Micronesia (FM).
If you meet all these requirements, the FAFSA is the financial aid application form you need.
California Dream Act Application
Fill out this form if:
- You do not have a valid Social Security number. If you have a Social Security card that says “valid for work only with DHS authorization,” this is OK for the California Dream Act application.
- You’ve completed either of these criteria:
- High school attendance in California for three or more years
- Attainment of credits earned in California from a California high school equivalent to three or more years of full-time high school coursework and a total of three or more years of attendance in California elementary schools, California secondary schools, or a combination of those schools.
- You’ve graduated or will graduate from a California high school or attainment of the equivalent. Acceptable equivalents include:
- General Education Development (GED)
- High School Equivalency Test (HiSET)
- Test Assessing Secondary Completion (TASC)
- You will register or enroll in an accredited and qualifying California college or university.
- You’ve complete an affidavit to legalize your immigration status as soon as you’re eligible (if applicable).
- You do not hold a valid non-immigrant visa.
If you meet all these requirements, the California Dream Act Application is the financial aid form you need.
