What’s the process to link FAFSA to Common App?

Hi friends, I’m working on my financial aid applications and I’ve heard that I need to connect my FAFSA to the Common App? Is that really a thing, and if so, how do I actually do it? Do I need to do it before submitting my college applications or can it be done afterwards?

Hello there! It's great that you're taking a proactive approach to the financial aid process. To clarify, the FAFSA and the Common Application are not directly linked. However, what you need to do is ensure that each institution you're applying to via the Common App receives your FAFSA information.

First, complete your FAFSA with all the necessary information, including your parents' financial details, and include the Federal School Code for each college you're applying to. After submitting your FAFSA, it's separately processed, and your financial information is sent to the colleges you listed.

On the Common App side, you will fill out any additional financial aid forms that the colleges may require, which can sometimes include the CSS Profile for private institutions. You can submit your college applications before completing your FAFSA, but don't wait too long as there may be different financial aid deadlines for each school. To keep everything in order, I recommend keeping a checklist of each school's financial aid deadlines alongside your application deadlines.