How to Apply for Financial Aid
Know Your FAFSA Basics
Understanding the FAFSA
Filing the FAFSA is one of the most important steps you can take to make college affordable. It’s quick, free, and could open the door to thousands of dollars in financial aid.
Bottom line: Filling out the FAFSA is quick and free, and it could help you get money for college that you wouldn’t get otherwise. It’s always worth doing.
What is the FAFSA?
FAFSA Benefits
Who Should Apply?
Everyone thinking about college should fill out the FAFSA, even if you think you won’t qualify for aid. Many families are surprised to learn they’re eligible for grants, scholarships, or low-interest loans they didn’t expect. Some scholarships and work-study programs even require a FAFSA, no matter your income.
FAFSA: How to Apply
Before you can get financial aid or scholarships, you need to apply and be accepted to A-State. We also need to have your official testing scores and GPA.
When you submit your admission application, you're also applying for A-State's institutional scholarships. For private scholarships, you’ll need to fill out a separate application.
You’ll need an FSA ID to access your financial aid account and sign your FAFSA. Only one ID is required, and either you or your parents can create it. It’s quick and easy, like setting up a username and password.
Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see what federal grants, loans, and work-study you qualify for. Some aid, like certain grants, are awarded on a first-come first-serve basis. So complete your FAFSA early to maximize your aid opportunities.
- Priority Deadline: February 15
- Federal School Code: 001090
A-State online has different deadlines and a different financial aid staff. Be sure to check their website to submit financial aid materials on time. Otherwise follow the same instructions and use the same federal school code: 001090. Contact A-State Online’s financial aid office with any questions.
Phone: 870-972-2920, Option #4
After You Submit Your FAFSA
Monitor Your Progress
Use Pack Portal to check your financial aid status anytime. Inside Banner Self Service, you can:
- See if your FAFSA is complete
- Accept your financial aid offer
- View your student account balance
- Requests for verification
See Your Award Package
When your financial aid award is ready, we’ll let you know:
- First-year students: You’ll get a paper award letter in the mail
- Returning & Transfer students: You’ll get an email in your A-State student inbox
To see and accept your award offer, just log in to Pack Portal.
Financial Aid Disbursement
Financial aid is applied to your student account after the 11th day of classes each semester. You can keep track of your account balance at Pack Portal.
If you get a refund (extra aid left after paying your bill), it’ll be sent to you by:
- Direct deposit (fastest)
- Paper check (mailed to you)
Submitting Tax Information on Your FAFSA
There are two ways to submit tax information on your FAFSA. You can either use their IRS Data Retrieval Tool, or request an IRS Tax Transcript.
Using the IRS Retrieval Tool
The IRS Retrieval Tool is the easiest way to submit your tax information. The tool lets you quickly pull your tax information into your FAFSA. Here’s how it works:
- While filling out the Financial Information section of your FAFSA, you’ll be asked if you want to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
- Dependent students will see two Financial Information sections:
- One for the student
- One for the parent
- Each of you will use the tool for your own section.
- When you choose to use the tool, you’ll be sent to the IRS website.
- You’ll need to verify your identity before your tax info appears.
- Once verified, you can transfer your tax data directly into your FAFSA.
Who Can Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool?
You can use the tool if you are:
- Filling out a new FAFSA
- Renewing a previous FAFSA
- Making a correction to an existing FAFSA
To be eligible, you must:
- Have a valid Social Security Number
- Have a Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID
- Have already filed your federal tax return
Requesting an IRS Tax Transcript
If you can't use the Retrieval Tool, you can request a free tax transcript from the IRS in two ways:
Option 1: By Phone
Call 1-800-908-9946
- Follow the prompts to enter:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your street address numbers (from your latest tax return)
- Choose Option 2 to request a Tax Return Transcript
- Enter the tax year you need
- The IRS will mail your transcript in 5-10 days
- IRS cannot send transcripts by phone directly to third parties
Option 2: By Mail
- Go to www.irs.gov
- Under “Tools,” click “Get a Tax Transcript”
- Select “Get Transcript by Mail”
- Choose “Return Transcript” and the correct tax year
- Your transcript will arrive by mail in 5-10 days
Submitting Your Transcript to A-State
Once you receive your transcript, sign it and include:
- The student’s name
- The A-State ID number
Send it to:
Arkansas State University
Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
PO Box 1620
State University, AR 72467
Or fax to: 870-972-2794
Common Tax Questions
No. Due to Federal regulations, we will not be able to accept your Actual Federal Tax Return for verification purposes unless one of the following circumstances exist:
- You filed a Foreign Tax Return
- You filed a Puerto Rican Tax Return
- You filed an Amended Tax Return
You won’t be able to use the tool if:
- You’re married but filed separately
- You filed as Head of Household
- You got married after filing taxes
- You filed a Foreign Tax Return
- You filed a Puerto Rican Tax Return
- You filed an Amended Tax Return
- You filed taxes less than 3 weeks ago
Numbers 1–3: You’ll need to send a tax transcript to A-State.
Numbers 4–6: You can submit a signed paper tax return.
Number 7: Go back to FAFSA, update your info using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, and resubmit. If you don’t, you’ll need to send a tax transcript if selected for verification.
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool is available:
- Starting February 1
- For e-filed returns: Available about 3 weeks after filing
- For paper returns: Available about 11 weeks after filing
Tip: If you’re up against a deadline, use your tax return or estimates to complete the FAFSA. You can update it later with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.
It’s the easiest way to get your tax info into FAFSA:
- Easy: No need to type it in yourself
- Fast: Just a few clicks to transfer data
- Accurate: Avoid mistakes with IRS-verified info
- Helpful: Speeds up the verification process if you’re selected
If you haven’t filed your taxes yet:
- You can still complete your FAFSA using estimated income
- After you file taxes, update your FAFSA with the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
How to update your FAFSA:
- Go to FAFSA.gov
- Click “Start Here”
- Log in
- Click “Make FAFSA Corrections”
- Use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool to upload your tax info
Estimates are fine to meet deadlines, but remember to update — it could change your aid eligibility, even after an award package has been offered.
Verification is a common process where A-State is required to double-check the information you reported on your FAFSA. Many students are selected each year and it doesn’t mean you did anything wrong.
If selected, you’ll need to:
- Complete a Verification Statement (we’ll tell you where to find it)
- Confirm your tax information using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool
- If you can’t use the tool, submit an official IRS Tax Transcript
How to request a Tax Transcript:
- Online: www.irs.gov
- By phone: Call 1-800-908-9946
- By mail: Use IRS Form 4506T-EZ that can be downloaded from www.irs.gov
Why this matters:
Verification must be completed before A-State can finalize your financial aid. Submitting the right documents helps keep your aid on track.
Reminder:
We can only accept official IRS transcripts, not copies of your tax return. Processing takes about 5–10 days.
Connect With Us.
Contact the Financial Aid Office or visit us in the Reng Student Union, Room 2078.
Email: finaid@astate.edu