Prospective students at the University of Florida (UF) are encouraged to apply for financial aid before being admitted. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the cornerstone of the financial aid application process at UF. To apply for 2024-25 financial aid, students can file a FAFSA as early as December 2023 at studentaid.gov. The deadline to apply for 2024-25 financial aid is December 1, 2024. To apply for 2025-26 financial aid, students can file a FAFSA as early as October 1, 2024, at studentaid.gov. The deadline to apply for 2025-26 financial aid is December 1, 2024.
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UF Law deadline for financial aid applications
The University of Florida (UF) Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships recommends that prospective students apply for financial aid before being admitted to the university. UF's financial aid application process is centred on the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). The FAFSA is used to determine your student aid index (SAI) or Expected Family Contribution (EFC), which indicates how much you and your family are expected to contribute toward your educational expenses. Once your SAI or EFC has been determined, the financial aid office will calculate your financial need.
The FAFSA can be completed online at studentaid.gov. The 2024-25 FAFSA opened with a soft launch in December 2023 and can be filed as early as December 2023. The 2025-26 FAFSA can be filed as early as October 1, 2024, and the deadline for submission is December 1, 2024. The FAFSA usually opens on October 1 of each year.
To complete the FAFSA, you will need to create an FSA ID at the Federal Student Aid website. This will serve as your legal signature. Dependent students will also need their parents to obtain an FSA ID. You will also need your parents' social security numbers (if applicable) and income and tax information.
Once you have submitted your FAFSA, you will receive a confirmation page with a unique confirmation number and a summary of the next steps in your financial aid application. After your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive a Federal Student Aid Report (SAR) via email or mail. The SAR will indicate your EFC or SAI and a summary of federal aid that you may be eligible for. Review the SAR for any inaccuracies and make corrections if needed.
After submitting your FAFSA and being admitted to UF, you will receive a financial aid offer from the Student Financial Aid and Scholarships (SFA) office based on your eligibility. This offer will consist of one or more of the following types of aid: grants, scholarships, part-time employment, or loans.
It is important to note that financial aid is not automatically renewed each year, so you will need to reapply annually. Additionally, you should begin searching for outside scholarships as early as October using the Scholarship Search Resources.
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Applying for financial aid before admission
Applying for financial aid before receiving an offer of admission is a good idea. The University of Florida (UF) recommends that prospective students complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) as early as possible. The FAFSA is the cornerstone of your financial aid application. The FAFSA Simplification Act has made it easier to apply for federal student aid, and you may be able to skip as many as 26 questions.
To apply for 2024-25 financial aid, you can complete the FAFSA at studentaid.gov as early as December 2023. The deadline for filing is December 1, 2024. To apply for 2025-26 financial aid, you can file a FAFSA as early as October 1, 2024, at studentaid.gov. The deadline for filing is December 1, 2024.
To complete the FAFSA, you will need your parents' social security numbers if you are a dependent student. You will also need to list the University of Florida and the UF Federal School Code (001535) as a school choice in Step Six of the FAFSA. You and your parents will need to report your 2023 income and tax information. You can sign your FAFSA electronically using your FSA ID. If you are a dependent student, your parents can also sign electronically using their own FSA ID.
Once you have submitted your FAFSA, you will receive a confirmation page with important information, including a confirmation number, a Data Release Number (DRN), and a summary of what will happen next in your financial aid application. You should print this page and keep it for your records.
After your FAFSA has been processed, you will receive a Federal Student Aid Report (SAR) by email or mail. The SAR indicates your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI), which is used to determine your eligibility for financial aid. The SAR also lists the information you recorded on your FAFSA, so you should review it for any inaccuracies. If UF is not listed in the SAR's "College Release Section," you will need to correct your SAR to include UF.
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FAFSA application process
The FAFSA application process is the first step to obtaining federal student aid to help pay for college or career school. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to apply for FAFSA:
Step 1: Create an FSA ID
You need an FSA ID to sign the FAFSA form online. If you don't have one, you can create one at the Federal Student Aid’s FSA ID site. This will give you access to Federal Student Aid’s online systems and can serve as your legal signature. It takes about 10 minutes to create an FSA ID. Remember, if you are a dependent student, your parents must also obtain their own FSA ID.
Step 2: Start the FAFSA form
Go to the FAFSA website and select either "I am a student and want to access the FAFSA form" or "I am a parent filling out a FAFSA form for a student". Log in using your FSA ID. If you are a parent, you will need to provide your child's name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
Step 3: Choose the correct FAFSA form
Choose the FAFSA form that corresponds to the academic year for which you are applying. For example, choose the 2023-24 FAFSA form if you will be attending college between July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. If you are a returning applicant, you can choose to complete a "renewal" FAFSA form, which will save your time as your demographic information from the previous year will automatically fill in.
Step 4: Fill out the Student Demographics section
This section includes your name, date of birth, etc. Your personal information will prepopulate if you have completed the FAFSA form in the past or logged in with your FSA ID. Make sure to enter your personal information exactly as it appears on your Social Security card.
Step 5: List the schools you are considering
In the School Selection section, add every school you’re considering, even if you haven’t sent your application or received an acceptance letter. You can add up to 10 schools at a time. School officials cannot see the other schools you have listed, and you don't need to remove schools if you later decide not to apply or attend.
Step 6: Answer the dependency status questions
In this section, you will respond to a series of specific questions to determine whether you are a dependent or independent student. The answers will indicate whether you need to provide parent information on the FAFSA form.
Step 7: Fill out the Parent Demographics section
If you are a dependent student, your parent(s) will need to provide basic demographic information. This is the case even if you don't live with your parent(s).
Step 8: Provide your financial information
You and your parent(s) (if applicable) will provide financial information. The simplest way to do this is by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool (DRT), which allows you to import your IRS tax information into the FAFSA form with just a few clicks.
Step 9: Sign and submit the FAFSA form
Both you and your parent (if you are a dependent student) must sign the FAFSA form. The quickest and easiest way to do this is online with your FSA ID.
Remember to apply for FAFSA as early as possible, as some states and schools have limited funds and run out of financial aid early. Additionally, FAFSA needs to be renewed each year, so don't forget to reapply!
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Receiving a financial aid offer
To receive a financial aid offer from the University of Florida, you must be a degree-seeking admitted student. You should apply for aid before being admitted. The University of Florida is committed to helping all students, regardless of financial need, access a world-class education.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
The cornerstone of your financial aid application is your FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). You can complete the FAFSA online at studentaid.gov. You can file a 2025-26 FAFSA as early as October 1, 2024. The FAFSA usually opens on October 1 of each year. You can file a 2024-25 FAFSA as early as December 2024.
Once your FAFSA has been successfully processed by the federal processor, you will receive a Federal Student Aid Report (SAR) from the federal processor after you submit your FAFSA, either by email or by USPS. If you provided an email address, you should receive your SAR as soon as 24 hours after your FAFSA is processed. The SAR indicates your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) or Student Aid Index (SAI), which is used to determine your eligibility for financial aid.
The SAR also lists information you recorded on your FAFSA. Review the SAR for any inaccuracies. If no corrections are needed, keep the SAR with your financial aid records. If any corrections are necessary, go to FAFSA on the Web and select "Make Corrections to a Processed FAFSA." If UF is not listed in the SAR's "College Release Section," correct your SAR to include UF. UF's school code is 001535.
Receiving Your Financial Aid Offer
Once your Financial Aid file is complete and you have been admitted to UF, you will receive a financial aid offer based on your demonstrated need. All financial aid offers and other correspondence will be sent to you by email. Your Financial Aid Offer will state the terms and conditions of the aid programs offered. Carefully read the information accompanying your financial aid offer and follow all instructions.
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Accepting or declining a financial aid offer
The University of Florida offers financial aid to students who require assistance. The university recommends that prospective students apply for financial aid before being admitted, although they must be accepted for enrollment at UF before they are considered for financial aid.
Once a student has been admitted to UF, they will receive a financial aid offer based on their eligibility and demonstrated need. The student can then accept or decline the offered aid. This can be done using ONE.UF. Grants and scholarships are considered to be automatically accepted, while loans and employment must be expressly accepted.
Students who have decided to decline their offer of admission are strongly encouraged to notify the Office of Admissions as soon as possible to open a seat for other qualified applicants. To decline an offer of admission, the student should complete the online form.
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Frequently asked questions
The deadline to apply for financial aid at the University of Florida is December 1, 2024.
Yes, you must be accepted for enrollment at UF Law before you are considered for financial aid. However, it is recommended that you apply for financial aid before being admitted.
To apply for financial aid, you need to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) at studentaid.gov. You will also need your parents' social security numbers if you are a dependent student.