Submit the FAFSA

Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a critical step toward financing your Loyola education. Most federal, state, and institutional aid programs require the FAFSA.

The FAFSA has been greatly simplified in recent years. If you come prepared with the documents and information outlined below, you can easily complete the FAFSA online in less time than you think! 

When to submit the FAFSA

The FAFSA becomes available on Jan. 1 each year. To be considered for maximum aid, incoming students should file the FAFSA by the priority deadline of March 1. (The filing deadline for returning students is May 1.) By meeting the filing deadlines, you will be considered for maximum state or institutional aid.

What you’ll need to fill out the FAFSA

Here’s what you and your parents will need to complete the FAFSA online:

  • Loyola’s Title IV FAFSA code: 002016
  • Your Federal Student Aid PIN and your Parents PIN (go to pin.ed.gov if you haven’t applied for one before)
  • Your social security number
  • Your most recent income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of income (you may be able to bypass this step with the new IRS Data Retrieval Tool—see below)
  • Bank statements and records of investments
  • Records of untaxed income

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

Filling out the FAFSA just got simpler! The IRS recently began offering the ability to access your and your parents’ tax returns electronically, and to transfer the information directly to your FAFSA without having to send supporting tax documents. As long as your previous year’s tax returns have been filed with the IRS, you should be eligible to use the Data Retrieval Tool. We encourage you and your family to take advantage of the new tool, which significantly streamlines the financial aid application process. Once you begin the FAFSA, you will see the data retrieval option.