Complete the FAFSA

UNC Asheville’s Federal School Code is 002907.

To be eligible for financial aid you must:

  • fill out the FAFSA
  • be enrolled as a degree seeking student in an eligible degree program
  • be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
  • have a Social Security Number
  • make satisfactory academic progress as outlined in the Financial Aid Handbook
  • register with the Selective Service, if required

Filling Out the FAFSA

To apply for most types of financial aid, you must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online using UNC Asheville’s School Code 002907. Here at UNC Asheville, the FAFSA is the only application you need to fill out to be eligible for financial aid.

You must file a FAFSA each academic year. You may begin this process as early as October 1 of each year; the priority filing date is March 1. Some aid may require an additional or separate application.

For questions about the FAFSA (or to request a paper FAFSA), please call the U.S. Department of Education at 1.800.433.3243. If you have a hearing disability, you can call the TDD number at 1.800.730.8913.

Tips for Completing Your FAFSA

Never pay to have the FAFSA filled out for you! For help in filling out the FAFSA, you can receive toll-free help by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1.800.4.FED.AID, or contact one of our Financial Aid Counselors.

About the FAFSA

  • The FAFSA may be filed on the Web at no cost. This is UNC Asheville’s preferred FAFSA and renewal process. The advantages to filing your FAFSA on the Web include a faster processing time and interactive editing of your answers to lessen the chance of your application being rejected.
  • If you filed in the previous academic year and provided a valid email address, a renewal reminder will be sent to you there from the Federal Processor. If you did not provide a currently valid email address you will receive a reminder via regular mail at the permanent address provided on that application. This will remind you to either file your FAFSA on the web or complete the paper version of the FAFSA and return it to the US Department of Education.
  • October 1 is the first day that you can complete your FAFSA application via the web using your FSA ID (and parent’s FSA ID if you are considered to be a dependent student for financial aid purposes) or by requesting a paper application by calling 1.800.4FED.AID. Once you have completed a paper application, mail it to the federal processor in the envelope attached to the form. Do not mail the application before October 1, and do not mail it to UNC Asheville.
  • If you did not file a FAFSA in the previous academic year or are not sure of your current filing status you may file a FAFSA online or by submitting a paper application.
  • If you filed a FAFSA on the Web last year and your grade level status was senior or graduate student, you will not receive communication from the Federal processor. You will need to complete a FAFSA on the Web or file a new paper application.

Your FSA ID

The U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid Division recently overhauled the security processes for students and parents, replacing the Federal Student Aid PIN with the FSA ID. FSA ID requires you to create a username and a password which you will use to access Federal Student Aid websites, such as fafsa.ed.gov, studentloans.gov or nslds.ed.gov. We strongly encourage you to set up a FSA ID asap. You do not need to make any changes to your FAFSA to complete setting up a FSA ID.

Create your FSA ID here.

Instructions on how to complete the FSA ID set up process can be found here.

Student Aid Report

  • The SAR lists all the information you provided on the FAFSA. If you do not receive a SAR, call the federal processor at 1.800.433.3243.
  • Once you receive the SAR, review all the information to make sure your application has been processed and that all information is accurate and complete.
  • If your SAR contains comments you do not understand, contact our office for help.
  • If you have corrections the fastest way to make them is by submitting them yourself at www.fafsa.ed.gov or write the corrections on the SAR, complete the required signatures and send it to the Federal Processors at Federal Student Aid Programs, PO Box 7020, Lawrence, KS 66044-7020. If submitting the corrections by the two previous means is unsuccessful, you can submit your SAR with the appropriate signatures to the Office of Financial Aid and we will submit the corrections electronically. If you have difficulty while processing your corrections, you may contact the Federal Processor at 1.800.433.3243.
  • Check the Information Release section of your SAR to be sure UNC Asheville (School ID Number 002907) is listed as a school to receive your information. If UNC Asheville does not receive your information, we will not know that you want aid. We receive an electronic record of your SAR automatically if you listed UNC Asheville on the FAFSA.
  • To receive your information or add UNC Asheville as a recipient of your information, contact the Department of Education at 1.800.433.3243. You will need to know the DRN (Data Release Number) located on the front of your SAR to do so.

Special Conditions

In some instances, the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid can consider special circumstances (such as job loss) that are not reflected by information provided on the FAFSA. Contact the Office of Admissions & Financial Aid for the appropriate forms. You will be required to submit supporting documentation before your situation is reviewed.