FAFSA

FAFSA Timeline and Assistance

The FAFSA is scheduled to open October 1. The UNI priority FAFSA date is January 15. Financial aid offers are made on a first-come, first-served basis, so complete your FAFSA as soon as possible! You can apply for financial aid throughout the year, but funding for some programs may be depleted before you receive your offer. 

• The Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships receives the results from your FAFSA within 5 to 7 business days after you submit your FAFSA.
• If you need to make corrections to your FAFSA, here are instructions: How To Correct or Update Your FAFSA® Form.
• If you have questions when completing the FAFSA, contact our office via phone (319-273-2700) or email (fin-aid@uni.edu) or schedule a FAFSA appointment.
• You may also contact the Iowa College Access Network (ICAN) to set up an appointment for one-on-one assistance in completing your FAFSA.

To complete the FAFSA, you will need the following:

• You must have an FSA ID. If you don't already have an FSA ID, you will need to create one: Create FSA ID. Both students and parents (if applicable) need an FSA ID. This must be created 3-5 days prior to completing the FAFSA.
• Tax Returns and W-2s*.
• Amount of child support received in the past year.
• Asset information (value of cash, savings & checking, net worth of investments, net worth of any businesses/farms).
• List of any federal benefits received.
• If you are a dependent student who must provide parent information, you will need the following information about your parent(s): first and last name, parent Social Security Number (if applicable), parent date of birth, and parent email address.
• If you are an independent student who is married and filed taxes separately, you will need the following information about your spouse: first and last name, Social Security Number (if applicable), date of birth, and email address.
• If you are a parent starting the FAFSA on behalf of your student, you will need the following information about your student: first and last name, date of birth, Social Security Number, email address, and phone number.

*The 2025-2026 FAFSA uses tax and income information from 2023. The 2024-2025 FAFSA uses tax and income information from 2022.

Who counts as a parent on the FAFSA® form?

Who is a FAFSA Contributor?

A contributor refers to anyone who is required to provide information on a student’s FAFSA. A contributor could be the student, student’s parent (biological or adoptive), step-parent, or spouse. Questions on the FAFSA will be used to identify contributors.

Being a contributor does not mean that they are financially responsible for the student’s educational costs, but it does mean the contributor must provide the required information on the student’s FAFSA.

Who is considered a parent?

Parent Without a Social Security Number (SSN)

Follow these instructions from Federal Student Aid: How To Submit the FAFSA® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN.