Students seeking funding from any of the following federal programs must complete the application annually: Direct Unsubsidized Loan, Direct Graduate PLUS Loan, and Work Study. For graduate students, parental information is not used in determining eligibility for federal funding. Therefore, you do not need to include your parental information on the FAFSA, even if you are applying for a grant.
The Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID currently consists of a user-created username and password to electronically apply for the FAFSA. You can use your FSA ID immediately to sign your FAFSA.
You are encouraged to complete your FAFSA online. Students are able to create an FSA ID when completing a FAFSA on the Web. Please refer to the FAFSA website for additional information. Questions regarding the FAFSA can be addressed by calling the Federal Student Aid Information Center (FSAIC) at 800-433-3243. The Federal School Code for Columbia University is 002707.
The results of the federal need analysis are transmitted to schools electronically and are sent to the student in the Student Aid Report (SAR). Students must make corrections and communicate them to the processor online.
- We advise entering students applying for Law School grants to submit the FAFSA to the processor by February 15, even if they have not received an offer of admission yet.
- Although the Financial Aid Office processes loans throughout the academic year, we urge all loan applicants to file their FAFSA and their loan application materials by May 15 in order to ensure timely processing and the arrival of loan funds for the fall semester. Otherwise, payments to the University may be considered late.
Remember, the FAFSA is not a loan application.
- You will also need to complete separate Master Promissory Note (MPN) forms based on the loan type (one for Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans and another for Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loans) at the U.S. Department of Education website.
- Please refer to the Loan Applications section of our website for complete loan instructions.
If you are an international student (not a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen), you are not eligible for federal aid and you may disregard the FAFSA requirement.