Colleges and career schools use the FAFSA form to determine how much financial aid you’re eligible to receive, which could include FREE grants, scholarships, and work-study funds. There are a wide range of financial support available to current and former foster youth to help pay for college and living expenses while in college (including rent, utilities, food, transportation, and childcare).
- Any youth who was in foster care for one day after their 13thbirthday (may need to provide a dependency letter)
- These former and current foster youth are considered “independent students,” they do NOT have to report any financial information about biological parents, foster parents or guardians. The only financial information you need to include is your own.
- Your foster youth care status gets established and you are considered an “independent student” for following years.
How do I get a dependency letter showing that I was in foster care in Yolo County after my 13thbirthday?
The California Foster Care Ombudsmen’s office provides former foster youth in California with Dependency Letters (also called Verification Letters or Ward of the Court Letters). Be sure to enter your legal name (if your name has changed, add your previous name as well). Click here to start the request.
Who should complete the FAFSA form?
Any student who wants to be considered for federal, state, and school financial aid programs. You must apply for aid every year.
It takes most people 30 minutes to 1 hour to fill out the FAFSA form, including gathering any personal documents and financial information needed to complete it.
When do I need to apply?
The 2024–25 FAFSA form is available now. Each school has their own FAFSA deadlines. Typically students apply between October 1 – March 2 to have the greatest chance to receive funding. Students can apply for financial aid even before they submit their college applications.
How do I apply?
An FSA ID must be created in advance of submitting the FAFSA and can take up to 3 days to process. While creating an account, write down and save the following:
- FSA ID Username & Password
- Email Address (& Password) you used for getting FAFSA email notifications
- FSA ID Challenge Questions & Answers
- Save Key
What you need to apply:
- Name and social security number, exactly as it appears on your Social Security Card (or Alien Registration Number)
- Email address that you can check regularly. Avoid high school emails that expire. Create or use an email such as Gmail or Yahoo.
- List of colleges to apply to (up to 20 colleges). This can be updated later, if needed. At least one college must be listed to complete the application.
- Foster youth (because they receive federal MediCal benefits) are exempt from reporting information about current assets, such as the total of personal checking and savings accounts.
APPLY HERE: FAFSA APPLICATION
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