FAFSA

  • The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form that is available every year for seniors to apply for financial aid for college or trade school. Students who are US citizens, US nationals, eligible non-citizens (holding an I-551, I-551C or certain I-94 card) or T-1 non-immigrants with a valid social security number are eligible for federal aid. Following are the steps to applying for federal aid, along with some resources and additional information. 

    Step 1: Create your FSA ID. Both you and your parent need to click here to create your FSA ID. You must have your own FSA ID, and at least one parent does as well. Each ID should have a unique email address and phone number; do not use your parent's email address or phone number when setting up your ID. Click here for more information about setting up your FSA ID.

    Step 2: Gather information you will need. This includes your FSA ID, your 2023 tax return for both parents and you (if you have one), your personal information (address, social security number, driver's license number, etc.), records of your parents' assets (checking and savings accounts, etc.) and a list of the schools you want to attend. None of your financial information will be visible to anyone at Ridge Point nor Fort Bend ISD.

    Determine your dependency status and whether your parent(s) or spouse will be required to contribute information on your FAFSA form. If you're a dependent student, use the Who’s My FAFSA Parent? wizard to identify which parent(s) will be a required contributor on your form. 

    Step 3: Fill out your FAFSA application. Visit the FAFSA website, log in with your FSA ID and password. Follow the prompts and input your data using the information you gathered in Step 2. If you're graduating in May 2025, you will fill out the 2025-26 FAFSA form. It is scheduled to open on December 1, but a beta option is now available. 

    Step 4: Submit your verification. Once you've submitted your FAFSA, you'll need to submit verification that it was completed to SchooLinks. This is the ONLY way that your graduation requirement will be satisfied. You will need a screen shot of your final FAFSA screen or email confirmation that includes your name, completion date and Data Release Number. You will upload this in SchooLinks; please click here for specific instructions. 

    Resources