Dear High School Senior and Family,

[School or organization] will be participating in Indiana’s FAFSA Fridays on Friday, February [date(s)] to help every senior file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the state’s April 15 deadline. Filing the FAFSA qualifies you for over $1 billion in student aid from the federal government (including loans, Pell grants and more), and for most Indiana colleges (including Purdue, IU, Ball State and Ivy Tech), it’s the only way to qualify for scholarships from the college you want to attend. The FAFSA is also required for grants from the State of Indiana, including the 21st Century Scholarship. Filing the FAFSA is the only way to know how much financial aid you will get for college.

FAFSA Friday is an easy way to make sure your FAFSA is filed on time, correctly! To participate, gather the following information. The FAFSA is filed online at FAFSA.gov.

Your Social Security number

Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are providing parent information

Your driver’s license number if you have one

Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a U.S. citizen

Income and assets information (see attached worksheet; you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to automatically pull information from your 2016 taxes if your family has already filed taxes)

Your FSA ID. This is how you will electronically “sign” the FAFSA. Register for an FSA ID at fsaid.ed.gov, or let us know if you need help.

Your parent/guardian’s FSA ID, if you are providing parent information on the FAFSA.* Note: The FSA ID is private information that cannot be shared with us or with your student. We’d love to have parents and guardians attend FAFSA Friday to use your FSA ID, or commit to adding your FSA ID online shortly after FAFSA Friday.

Completed FAFSA Worksheet (attached). You will need 2016 tax information (or estimates) and other income information.

* Not sure whether you will need to put your parents’ information on the FAFSA? See the attached worksheet, bottom of page 2.

Bring the information above on February [date]. Volunteers and staff will help you complete and submit your FAFSA online. Remember, filing the FAFSA is one of the most important steps in preparing for college. Even if you’re not sure you’re attending college this fall, you should determine how much financial aid you’ll receive before making a final decision.

Sincerely,

[signature]

[name, title]