The 2022-2023 FAFSA
You can file your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on October 1, using income data from your 2020 taxes.
What is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)?
The FAFSA is the application that students must complete to apply for federal student aid, which is used to attend an eligible college. Federal student aid includes Federal Pell Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), Federal Student Loans, and Federal Work-Study (FWS). The FAFSA is also used to determine eligibility for state grant (or scholarship) programs (such as New York Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and New Jersey Tuition Aid Grant (TAG)). Much of Berkeley College Institutional Aid also require the FAFSA.
Do students still have to complete the FAFSA every year?
Yes. Eligibility for federal student aid does not carry over from one school year to the next. Students will need to fill out the FAFSA for each school year in which they plan to be a student. Eligibility for financial aid can differ from year to year for various reasons, including a student’s or family’s financial situation and the number of family members enrolled in college.
How do students create the FSA ID required to complete the FAFSA?
Please download the instructions on how to create an FSA ID.
How does information transfer from the IRS to the FAFSA?
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT) allows applicants (and their parents, if applicable) to access the IRS tax return information needed to complete the FAFSA, and transfer the required information directly into the FAFSA from the IRS. The FAFSA includes a link to the IRS if an applicant is eligible to use the IRS DRT.
Can any student be selected for verification?
Yes. A student can be selected for verification by either the U.S. Department of Education or by Berkeley. Verification is a process by which a student is required to submit documentation that the data reported on the student’s FAFSA is accurate. Berkeley's financial aid administrators may make corrections or updates to your FAFSA based on the documentation provided as part of the verification process.
Starting with spring 2022 Berkeley College has teamed up with ProEducation Solutions. If the U.S. Department of Education selects you for verification or requires us to resolve some issues with your FAFSA information, ProEd will use an automated tool called ProVerify+ to make the process easier and faster for you. Learn more about Verification and Conflict Resolution.
Loan Information
You must complete a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year listing Berkeley College’s school code in order to be awarded a Direct Federal Stafford Loan. You will receive an award notice from the College Financial Aid Office after your FAFSA has been processed. Check your award notice to make sure that a Stafford Loan has been awarded. If you have been awarded a Stafford Loan, you must complete a Stafford Loan Application and Loan Entrance Counseling. If you want to borrow a Stafford Loan but your award notice does not include one, or you did not receive an award notice, contact your Financial Aid Office for assistance.
Berkeley College participates in the William D. Ford Direct Loan Program. Eligible students and their parents borrow Stafford and/or PLUS loans directly from the U.S. Department of Education, and repay their loans directly to a loan servicer that is appointed.
Instructions for Completing the Stafford Loan Application and Loan Entrance Counseling
Complete your loan entrance counseling by logging onto https://studentaid.gov/app/counselingInstructions.action?counselingType=entrance and sign in using your FSAID.
Complete your loan application (MPN) by logging onto https://studentaid.gov/mpn/ and sign in using your FSAID.
