The federal government provides more than $150 billion in grants, loans, and work-study funds to students each year. In order to get that money, you must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly called the FAFSA.

Completing and submitting the FAFSA is free and easier than ever, and it gives you access to the largest source of financial aid to pay for college or career school.

In addition, many states and colleges use your FAFSA data to determine your eligibility for state and school aid, and some private financial aid providers may use your FAFSA information to determine whether you qualify for their aid.

Submit a free application for federal student aid.

Need more help? These videos might help:

• The Financial Aid process
• Types of Federal Aid available
• How to fill out the FAFSA
• Repayment of loans and what to expect
• Details on responsible borrowing

Have questions about student aid? The U.S. Dept. of Education will answer them. Just ask them on Twitter with the hashtag #AskFAFSA between 5 and 6pm EST tonight.         

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It’s the FREE form you fill out to get money for college or career school. Apply online at http://www.fafsa.gov.

If you’re planning for college, learn more about financial aid and find out how the government can help.

By The U.S. Department of Education office of Federal Student Aid

For those of you who may need help paying for college, a new year means it’s time to complete a new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

We understand the financial aid process can often be overwhelming, especially if you’ve never gone through it before. To help you navigate the process, we are very excited to announce the launch of the @FAFSA Twitter account from Federal Student Aid.

The @FAFSA Twitter account will help support an ongoing conversation around student financial aid, and to kick this off, Martha Kanter, the Under Secretary of Education, will host “FAFSA Office Hours” where she will solicit and answer students’ FAFSA questions live on Twitter using the #askFAFSA hashtag. The event will take place on January 26th at 4:30pm (EST) and will be the first in a monthly series of Q&A sessions that Federal Student Aid will host on Twitter.

Here’s how it works:

• Follow @FAFSA on Twitter for FAFSA information and financial aid tips.
• Ask your questions now and during the live event on Twitter using the hashtag #askFAFSA
• Follow the Q&A live through the @FAFSA Twitter account
• Can’t make the live session? A summary of the live chat including the full Q&A will be posted on the ED.gov blog following the event.

The FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It’s the form to fill out in order to apply for student grants, work-study, and loans. To receive federal student aid for the 2012-13 school year, you must complete the 2012-13 FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov.

Some financial aid is first-come, first-served, so we encourage all potential and returning students to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible. Remember, four-year colleges and universities aren’t the only schools that accept the FAFSA Community colleges, nursing schools, online schools, and career schools do too. More than 6,000 schools accept FAFSA!

We hope you will find this to be a great resource as you pursue your education, so let us know how we can help. Remember, you can complete the FAFSA online today at www.fafsa.gov.