FAFSA Common Questions for Louisiana Students

What is the FAFSA?

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. By completing this free form, you’re taking the first step toward getting federal aid to help pay for college. To complete the FAFSA, visit StudentAid.gov. You can start by downloading Lela’s FAFSA Completion Guide.

Which FAFSA do I complete?

High school seniors need to complete the 2026-27 FAFSA, which is now available. It covers the award year that runs from July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027.

I won’t qualify for aid. Do I still need to submit the FAFSA?

Yes. The FAFSA considers factors outside of income, which means there’s a possibility you may qualify for federal student aid. Also, the FAFSA serves as the application for federal work-study funds, federal student loans and even scholarships and grants offered by your state, school or private organization. If you want to get the most financial aid possible, you should consider completing the FAFSA. (Source: Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance)

How do I complete the FAFSA?

You should visit StudentAid.gov to start your FAFSA application. Lela offers a FAFSA Completion Guide to walk you through the process. You can download the guide here. If you need additional FAFSA assistance, you can contact the Federal Student Aid Office’s Student Aid Help Center or Lela for assistance.

When does the FAFSA form become available, and when does it have to be submitted?

The FAFSA becomes available on or before October 1st of each year. While the final federal deadline for submitting the 2026-27 FAFSA is June 30, 2027, many states and institutional funds are limited and awarded on a first-come-first-served basis. To receive priority consideration for state and institutional aid in Louisiana, it is recommended that you submit your FAFSA by February 1, 2026 (source: LOSFA). 

What are the benefits of completing the FAFSA?

Government agencies and colleges use the FAFSA to determine your financial need and award institutional aid, in some cases, for all income levels. It is your ticket to federal grants and scholarships, which don’t have to be paid back, and opens the door to work-study campus jobs, which give you valuable, early work experience. Even if you don’t think you’ll need student financial aid, it would always be prudent to have a backup plan in place.

How do I complete parent information on my FAFSA form?

If you are a dependent student, you must include information for your legal parent(s) when you fill out the FAFSA form. If you are unsure whether you qualify as a dependent or independent student, you may review Federal Student Aid’s Dependency questions here. If you are a dependent student, you can determine which parent(s) will be “contributors” on your FAFSA Form by using this helpful Parent Contributor Guide.

If a parent was recently divorced, widowed or separated but their previous tax return was filed as “married filing jointly,” how does the contributing parent report this income change on the FAFSA?

The contributing parent will “approve” for their tax return to be downloaded from the IRS, even though it was a married filing jointly tax return. Then, when the parent answers the marital status question on the FAFSA to reflect their new marital status (divorced, widowed or separated), the FAFSA form will give the parent an opportunity to manually enter their individual income only.

If a parent had a significant change in income since their previous tax return was filed due to special financial circumstances, how does the parent report this change on the FAFSA?

There is guidance on the Federal Student Aid website that addresses special financial circumstances. It advises students in this situation to submit a completed FAFSA form using the appropriate tax return and then notify the financial aid office at the college or career school listed on the FAFSA form. The financial aid office may take these special circumstances into account and adjust your FAFSA information.

How and when will I know if I qualified for financial aid? How do I view my FAFSA results?

If your FAFSA form was processed successfully, you can view your FAFSA Submission Summary by logging into StudentAid.gov. Find more guidance here. If you provided an email address on your FAFSA form, you’ll receive an email with a link to the online version of your FAFSA Submission Summary.

Reminder: Your FAFSA Submission Summary is not a financial aid offer. Your college or career school will send your financial aid offer.

StudentAid.gov says the timing for student aid offers from a college or career school listed on your FAFSA form will vary based on the following:

• The timeline that college or career school has for accessing the information
• The student’s admission application status with the college or career school
• The date the student submitted the FAFSA form
• The number of FAFSA forms the college or career school received

You can contact the school or visit their website for more information about when aid offers will be sent.

How do I register for TOPS and other scholarship opportunities?

According to LOSFA, by completing the FAFSA, you are automatically applying for TOPS scholarships, which is another reason to complete the FAFSA. Though many other scholarships rely on FAFSA information, they have their own processes and deadlines. For more information, visit LOSFA’s scholarship page.

How can I fix errors with my FSA ID account or FAFSA application?

The Federal Student Aid office provides guidance on ways to correct FAFSA errors.

• Learn more about correcting the FAFSA form here.
• If you’re having trouble accessing your StudentAid.gov account (FSA ID), there are some suggested solutions here for retrieving the information.

If you continue to have issues with the FAFSA, you can contact the Student Aid Help Center or Lela for assistance.

How do I edit the 2025-26 FAFSA?

You can log into StudentAid.gov and follow the prompts.

Are students on the LAA1 pathway required to complete the FAFSA?

There are 265 college programs across the United States for students with intellectual disabilities. Many of these programs offer financial aid. Louisiana is one of 26 states with higher education institutions that offer these programs. Students in the LAA1 pathway may receive federal funds to enroll in a comprehensive transition and postsecondary (CTP) program and should therefore be encouraged to submit the FAFSA before exiting high school. Please visit the Think College website for more information about higher education options for people with intellectual disabilities. (Source: Louisiana Department of Education)