FAFSA Help
Articles to help students and parents complete the FAFSA
-
How To View and Change Your StudentAid.gov Account and FAFSA Personal Information
Change your account personal information: 1. Log in to your StudentAid.gov account using your FSA ID (account username and password). 2. Go to “Settings”. 3. Go to “Personal Information” to update your personal information. Change personal information on the FAFSA® form. 1. Log in to your StudentAid.gov account using your FSA ID (account username and password). 2. Navigate to the Status Center Dashboard. 3. Select your processed FAFSA submission from the “My Activity” page, this will bring you to the Status Center “Details” page. 4. If you have an action required, start a correction by selecting “Start Your Correction.” 5. If you are starting a voluntary correction, select the “Take Action” button, and then start a new correction by selecting “Make a Correction.” 6. Submit your corrected information. You can find other FAFSA Help information at VCSU FAFSA Help.
-
How to Contact FAFSA
Contact Us | Federal Student Aid
-
Personal Information Mismatch on the FAFSA
As a FAFSA applicant, your name, date of birth, and social security number (SSN) was sent by the Federal Student Aid Processor to other external federal agencies, including the Social Security Administration. The VCSU Financial Aid Office has been informed by the Federal Student Aid Processor that your name and/or date of birth reported on your FAFSA does not match the Social Security Administration's records. If your name, date of birth, and/or SSN is incorrect on your FAFSA, you must make a correction to your FAFSA at https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa. Log in under Returning User and select Make a correction. If your name, date of birth, and SSN are correct on your FAFSA, contact the Social Security Administration to request they correct their records. The Social Security Administration can be contacted by phone at 1-800-772-1213 or visit ssa.gov. In addition, you may need to submit proof of your name and date of birth to the VCSU Financial Aid Office. Acceptable documentation that verifies your name and date of birth include: Birth Certificate Driver's license Marriage certificate Court order Be sure to include your Student ID number on any documentation you submit to the VCSU Financial Aid Office. You can return forms and documents securely to our office using one of the following: Bring your documents to our office, McFarland 219, during business hours. Fax your documents to our secure fax machine at 701-845-7545. Mail your documents to our office at the following address: VCSU Financial Aid 101 College St SW Valley City, ND 58072 Upload and send documents securely at the following link: VCSU Financial Aid Filedrop. Or contact me at karen.crooks@vcsu.edu and I will send a secure file request link to your email address. Please note: If a phone is your only method of capturing a document, using a free scanning app like "Microsoft Lens" (for Android or iOS) or "Adobe Scan" is preferred over taking a photo of the document. Some iPhones also have a scanning option available in the Notes application. If you do take a photo with your phone’s camera, lay the document on a flat surface before taking the photo. Also, make sure the photo is legible, clear, and includes the entire document before sending it to us. Help Video: How to make corrections and add colleges and universities to your FAFSA
-
What do I report for the FAFSA Question “Amount of college grants, scholarships, or AmeriCorps benefits reported as income to the IRS.”?
Only enter the amount from the 2023 IRS 1040 Form, Schedule 1, line 8r. This amount comes from the 2023 1098-T, line 5 (Scholarships or Grants) minus 1098-T, line 1 (Payments received for qualified tuition and related expenses). If the amount is zero or less, enter zero. This is the amount of the scholarships and grants for the tax year that were more than tuition and course-related expenses and considered income. This amount is generally used for non-qualified expenses, such as housing, food, and travel.