FAFSA for Indian Students

Importance of FAFSA for Indian Students 

The importance of FAFSA for eligible Indian-origin students is definitely to assess if the student qualifies for financial aid to study in US universities, apart from this more significance is held for FAFSA, they are: 

• If qualified for federal aid, it's one of the easiest ways to bridge the cost of studying in the USA. 
• How much aid can be offered to the student is assessed through the information provided in the FAFSA. 
• Indian students if qualify for a grant, they will not have to repay it. 
• In case Indian students get an education loan in the USA, it will be at a lower interest rate and they would not be required to pay for it before graduating.

Thus, to get the above-mentioned benefits, Indian students must fulfil any one of the following given eligibility criteria to apply for FAFSA. 

 

FAFSA Eligibility for Indian Students 

To be eligible to receive federal aid while studying in US universities, Indian students who come under the non-US citizens' category must fulfil the following criteria before proceeding to submit FAFSA for international students: 

• Indian students holding a Certificate of Naturalization (form N-550 or N-570) or a Certificate of Citizenship (form N-560 or N-561) or a Documentation of Birth of Citizen Abroad (form FS-240, FS-545 or DS-1350) will be eligible to apply for federal aid through FAFSA scholarship. 
• Form I-551 proof or Departure Record through form I-94A or Arrival-Departure Record form I-94 with either of the following endorsements would make the Indian student eligible to apply for FAFSA:  

• • Processed for I-551 
  • Holds a Temporary I-551 
  • Processed for I-551 
  • Has temporary evidence of lawful admission for Permanent Residence valid until employment is authorized or,  
  • Other valid documentation of permanent residence status  

• Evidence of having filed a permanent resident application from the DHS stating the student or his/her parents are in the US not temporarily and intend to become a citizen or permanent resident. The documentation must indicate that the applicants have been paroled into the United States for a year, with a non-expired date. 
• I-551C, I-94, I-94A, or a passport with an MRIV endorsing - “Upon endorsement serves as temporary I-551C evidencing permanent residence for 1 year.” Valid if the document has not expired. 
• Form I-94 with a stamp displaying “Section 203(a)(7)” and indicating the Indian national (student/parent) admitted in the United States as a conditional entrant prior to March 31, 1980. 
• Form I-797 or a court order from an immigration judge confirming the student’s status. 
• Parents of Indian students working in the USA holding employment authorization can apply for FAFSA. 
• Those who have a social security number or whose parents working in the US or those previously employed in the US who have a social security number also make Indian students eligible to apply for federal aid through FAFSA. 

The above-given eligibility criteria for Indian-origin students apply to both non-citizens and those who were previously in the US with their parents on official documentation only. Also, those whose parents were working in the US and have a social security number can help students apply for federal aid through FAFSA. The above eligibility may or may not be deemed fit for all applicants, thus, students must carefully check before applying for FAFSA. Also, check about CSS Profile for International Students.

Steps to Apply for FAFSA 

Students who have US citizenship and have their social security number can apply directly for FAFSA, else if they are dependent on their parents who are working in the US and have a social security number their parents will have to file FAFSA on behalf of their child. The steps to submit a FAFSA application are as follows: 

• Step 1: Create an account and register for an FSA id which is more like a username to access the application. 
• Step 2: Log on to the website fafsa.gov select your option - student or parent and click next upon filling in the relevant info. 
• Step 3: Select the session for which the FAFSA is being filled by the student or on behalf of the student. The renewable option can also be used if the FAFSA was filed before so that information is transferred for the new session from the previously submitted form.  
• Step 4: Select all the US universities and colleges you wish to apply to even if your application has been submitted or not or even accepted or not. 
• Step 5: Submit dependency-related questions’ answers. This section would further assess if parents’ information is required or not. 
• Step 6: If the student is a dependent, then they will have to fill out details of their parents in this section. Students who are not dependents will fall into the following categories: 

• • 24 years old or above 
  • Married  
  • A graduate student 
  • Military veteran or a member of the armed forces 
  • Orphaned 
  • Ward of the state 
  • An emancipated minor who is homeless or at risk of being homeless 
  • Someone with legal dependents other than a spouse 

• Step 7: This step requires the financial information of the student’s family or parents. 
• Step 8: The final step is to sign the FAFSA and submit it. The application would be considered incomplete without the signatures of the student or the parent. 

Note: FAFSA scholarship is a free-of-cost application, students or parents must submit the form through the official website only. Also, it is suggested to follow the steps correctly before applying. 

Documents Required for FAFSA 

Indian-origin students or those whose parents are working in the US applying for FAFSA would need the following documents to complete the form: 

• Student’s Social Security number  
• Parents’ Social Security number if the student is dependent  
• Student’s driver’s license number if available 
• Alien Registration number if the student is not a U.S. citizen 
• Federal tax information, tax documents, or tax returns, including IRS W-2 information, for the student (and student’s spouse, if married), or parents’ info, if the student is dependent along with the following documents: 

• • IRS Form1040 
  • Foreign tax return or IRS Form 1040-NR 

• Records of untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for the student, and for the student’s parents, if he/she is a dependent. 
• Information on cash, savings account balance, investments - stocks/bonds/real estate, business and farm assets if any. 

Overall, we can say that Indian students who fall in the non-citizenship criteria of the US or can demonstrate their US nationality applications or guardian’s details can apply for FAFSA and be eligible to receive federal aid or grant or even a loan at a lower interest rate. Please note, that not all Indian students are eligible to apply for FAFSA because the application would require a social security number. Thus, caution must be exercised while applying for FAFSA as an Indian student, if not eligible to apply for FAFSA, Indian students can apply for scholarships to study in the USA as their next best option.