The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and California Dream Act Application (CADAA) are available to submit for the 2024-2025 Academic year.Apply Today!
Below you will find our Frequently Asked Questions for the 2024-2025 Aid Application.
Q: What is CSUN's federal school code?
A:The CSUN school code is 001153.
Q: For FAFSA or CADAA, should I select renew or start a new application?
A:Either option is fine. Renewing allows certain demographic information to transfer over, starting a new one will require you to answer every question again.
Q: What information will I need to fill out a FAFSA form?
A: You will need the following information:
- Your Social Security Number
- Your A-Number (if you’re not a U.S. citizen)
- Federal income tax returns, records of child support received; and your current balance of cash, savings, and checking accounts (Note: You must provide consent and approval to disclose your federal tax information to be eligible for federal student aid.)
- Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable), net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
- Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
- An FSA ID (account username and password) to log in to StudentAid.gov and start the FAFSA form electronically
Q: What are Contributors on the 2024-2025 FAFSA?
A: Contributors refer to anyone asked to provide information on the student’s FAFSA form:
- the student
- the student’s spouse
- biological or adoptive parent
- parent’s spouse (stepparent)
A contributor is NOT a grandparent, foster parent, legal guardian, brother or sister, aunt or uncle, even if they helped provide for the student. You can watch a short video to learn more about who is a contributor.
Q: How do Contributors add information to the FAFSA?
A: Contributors can add their information by following the steps below:
- While filling out a FAFSA, students will need to send an invitation to the contributors when prompted to do so and if necessary
- The contributor will receive an email inviting them to complete the FAFSA
- The contributor will log onto their account using their own FSA ID and will need to accept the invitation
- The contributor will then have the ability to share their information on the FAFSA
Watch a short video on how to invite a contributor to your FAFSA as well as how to troubleshoot if the contributor doesn’t receive the email invitation.
Q: How do I or other Contributors create an FSA ID?
A: You can visit the FSA ID website to begin the process. You'll be required to provide your email address or mobile phone number when you make your FSA ID. Providing a mobile phone number and/or email address that you have access to will make it easier to log in to ED online systems and allow you to verify your FSA ID before using it on the FAFSA and additional account recovery options. This Federal Student Aid video can help create a step-by-step FSA ID.
- If your parent doesn’t have a Social Security Number, you can view a quick video on how to create an FSA ID without a Social Security Number.
Q: What if my parents are divorced? Who is the Contributor?
A: Provide the information for the parent who provided you with more financial support. If both parents provided you with the same amount of support, you will need to provide the information for the parent with the greater income and assets. For additional information on divorced or separated parents, click here.
Q: What if my parents claimed me as a dependent on their 2022 taxes but now I am not with my parents and I am independent?
A:Your dependency status for financial aid purposes is not determined by whether you are claimed on your parent’s taxes. You will need to answer the dependency questions on your aid application. If it is determined that you are a dependent student you will be asked to provide your parent’s information.
Q: Will I still be eligible to receive FAFSA or CADAA if I start working?
A:Yes, you will be considered and should apply every year in order to determine what you are eligible to receive.
Q: What if I didn’t work in 2022?
A:FAFSA/CADAA requires your 2022 income. If you didn't work, you report as non-filer with $0 earnings for 2022. You will still need to consent to the Internal Revenue Transfer.
Q: What do I do if the application keeps saying error when I submit?
A:The application usually tells you what the error is, and what you need to enter to resolve it. If you keep having issues with your FAFSA application please contact them at 1-800-433-3243 or CADAA at 1-888-894-0148.
Q: I’m a graduate student. On the dependency status it says that I’m considered an independent student but I’m still dependent on my parents. Do I still provide my parents information?
A:Students who are pursuing a Master's degree are considered independent even if they are still dependent on their parent(s). Because of this, you do NOT need to provide your parent information.
Q: For number in college, do I include myself?
A:The number in college is no longer taken into consideration when determining your eligibility for financial aid. When answering this question, you should include: yourself, siblings, or other people in your parent’s household who will be enrolled at least half-time in 2024-25.
Q: How is parent financial information provided on the FAFSA?
A:This information will be transferred from the IRS when parents (contributors) provide consent on the FAFSA application. The FAFSA application will not be processed for students or contributors that do not provide consent.
Q: How do I submit my parent information if they do not have a Social Security Number?
A:For guidance on how your parent can submit their information, please visit How To Submit the 2024–25 FAFSA® Form if Your Contributor Doesn’t Have an SSN | Federal Student Aid.
Q: I worked during the year of 2023 only, does it change anything?
A:No, the 2024-2025 application year requires 2022 tax information. If you did not work in 2022, you may indicate you are a non-filer for this tax period.
Q: I made a mistake on my application. How do I fix it?
A: You will have an opportunity to make corrections to your application after the Federal Student Aid completes the initial review of your application. When you receive an email from FSA confirming your application has been reviewed, you will then have access to log back onto your application and make corrections.
Q: Is it possible to get one-on-one help filling out the application?
A:For assistance with individual questions on the application you may reach out to FAFSA at 1-800-433-3243 or CADAA at 1-888-894-0148. You may also contact the financial aid office at 818-677-4085 if you have a specific question.
We are here to help,
Financial Aid & Scholarship Department
