Guide to beginning the financial aid process

Monica BlondinNovember 18, 2021

We know the past year and a half has been exceptionally difficult due to the pandemic. Below, please find some tips that will hopefully ease any stress and uncertainty you may be experiencing when it comes to financing an Assumption University education and applying for financial aid.

The financial aid process for the 2022-2023 academic year opened on October 1, 2021. You can now file your 2022 – 2023 FAFSA. We recommend all students, regardless of their financial situation, apply for financial aid as they may qualify for financial aid funding that can reduce their educational costs!

Assumption University, as well as other institutions, will require families requesting financial assistance to submit the FAFSA. The 2022 – 2023 FAFSA can be filed online at www.fafsa.gov.

Obtain Your FSA ID

Identify Your Federal School Codes

  • A Federal School Code number is required for each college/university to which your child is applying. Obtaining all your needed school codes in advance will save you time.
  • Assumption University’s Federal School Code is 002118. For a listing of all Federal School codes, click here.

Collect 2020* Federal Income Information – Parents and Students

  • 2020 federal income tax documents
  • 2020 W-2 statements
  • 2020 untaxed income documentation

*In order to determine your family’s financial need, the FAFSA reviews your 2020 income information. However, due to the ongoing pandemic, many families continue to face financial hardships that include reduced wages or layoffs. If your family’s financial situation looks different in 2021 than it did in 2020, please complete your 2022-2023 FAFSA with your 2020 income information as instructed per the FAFSA directions. Once submitted, you may complete the Special Circumstance Form found at www.assumption.edu/faforms informing us of your financial changes between 2020 and 2021. In many instances, we may be able to use your 2021 income information rather than your 2020 information to determine your family’s financial need if there were significant changes between the two years.

Gather Asset Information

  • Obtain copies of all your most recent checking, savings, and investment accounts.

Beginning October 1st – Complete the 2022 – 2023 FAFSA

  • Go to www.fafsa.gov.
  • On your first visit to the site, click “Start Here” and follow the instructions to complete the form.
    • Make sure to select the 2022-2023 FAFSA if your child plans to enter the University as a full-time, undergraduate day student in the fall 2022 or spring 2023 semester.
    • Periodically click SAVE, especially if you anticipate it taking more than 30 minutes to complete a page. Clicking save will avoid loss of data entry and prevent you from having to re-enter information.
    • Need Help? At the bottom of each page, there is a “Need Help?” button; clicking this at any time provides more information about the questions on that particular page.

Review Your Student Aid Report (SAR)

  • Once you submit your FAFSA information, you will receive a confirmation email from the Federal Department of Education.
  • Within a week of submitting your FAFSA, the Federal Department of Education will email you to let you know your FAFSA has been processed and will instruct you to log back into www.fafsa.gov to review your SAR (Student Aid Report) which is the output document of your FAFSA. Make sure to review your SAR. If there are any issues with your FAFSA, you can make corrections to it.

Other Financial Resources

If your family needs assistance in completing the FAFSA, we encourage you to look into the following resources:

FAFSA Days in Massachusetts

Hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (MASFAA)

  • Get free help applying for college financial aid
  • October 12, 2021 – February 20, 2022
  • Register here!
Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority (MEFA)
  • Get free information on the college financial aid process and financing college through webinars, podcasts, and blogs
  • Learn more!

Assumption University Office of Financial Aid

Staff members in the Office of Financial Aid are here to assist you with your questions on the financial aid process. Please do not hesitate to contact our office at (508) 767-7158 or fa@assumption.edu.

I also invite you to learn more about Assumption’s scholarship opportunities.

Monica Blondin
Director of Financial Aid
Assumption University