Scholar Aid Hub — Student financial aid for | scholaraidhub.com
One form, one order: create the FSA ID, list schools, report 2023 income, sign, and submit before June 30 of the award year.
Start with the FSA ID, the credential that signs the form. Because most students under 24 file as dependent, a parent contributor usually needs an FSA ID too — set both up before touching the application itself.
List every college you are still considering. Each school on the list receives your data and builds its own aid offer, and removing a school later is easier than adding one after a deadline.
Report income for 2023, not last year. The prior-prior-year rule means the 2025-26 FAFSA reads a tax return that is already filed, which is part of what allows the simplified form to ask only about 36 questions instead of 108.
On narrow screens, swipe or scroll the plate sideways.
Sign and submit before the deadline. The federal cutoff is June 30 of the award year, but state and college deadlines often land earlier, so treat the earliest date on your list as the real one.
Then watch for the classic rejections: a missing student or parent signature, a Social Security number or name that does not match federal records, a verification selection asking for documents, and a missed institutional deadline. Each one pauses the file until it is fixed.
Once the offers arrive, compare them on repayment, limits, and deadlines — the grants, scholarships and loans comparison on this board lays out those axes.
Further reading