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File the FAFSA

Submitting a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the first step to applying for Title IV federal financial aid. The FAFSA form is completed and submitted online on the studentaid.gov website. To complete the FAFSA a student will need to create a StudentAid.gov ID prior to the date in which they plan to complete the FAFSA. The student will continue to use this studentaid.gov ID to login to the FAFSA website in future years.

  • The U.S. Department of Education is now sending FAFSA information to schools

  • The Department of Education recently notified schools that students will not be able to make corrections to completed FAFSA's until later in April.

To check on the status of a FAFSA application and/or make a correction students can log back into the FAFSA starting mid April at https://studentaid.gov/fafsa, selecting “Access Existing Form”, and log in with the student FSA ID. Then select your 2024-2025 FAFSA on your dashboard to check the application status.

  • Draft: Your section of the FAFSA form is incomplete. Please complete and sign for submission.

  • In Progress: You provided your consent, approval, and signature to your section of the FAFSA form, but the FAFSA form has not been submitted yet. Please submit.

  • In Review: You have submitted your form and your application is still processing by Federal Student Aid. It will be sent to UChicago

  • Processed: Your application was processed successfully. No further action is needed.

  • Action Required: Your application requires further action from you or your contributor(s). Please be sure to complete needed sections and sign/submit the application.

In typical years, it takes 3-5 days for Federal Student Aid to process the application and transmit the information to University. Students will receive a FAFSA Submission Summary to review FAFSA information submitted for completeness and accuracy. You are able to submit a FAFSA correction online to fix any incorrect information provided.

All graduate students are considered independent when determining federal aid eligibility. Students are not required to provide parental income information on the FAFSA.

*If you are an Illinois resident and are not eligible to complete a FAFSA application for federal financial aid consideration, you may be eligible for consideration for State of Illinois financial aid. You can learn more and determine your eligibility to apply here.