Completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid
(FAFSA)
Obtaining your Federal Student Aid PIN
(from the U.S. Department of Education's website)
Your PIN can be used each year to electronically apply for
federal student aid and to access your Federal Student Aid records
online. If you receive a PIN, you agree not to share it with
anyone. Your PIN serves as your electronic signature and provides
access to your personal records, so you should never give your PIN
to anyone, including commercial services that offer to help you
complete your FAFSA. Be sure to keep your PIN in a safe place.
- You may Apply For A PIN at any time, prior to completing the
FAFSA, at www.pin.ed.gov.
- You may continue to use the PIN each year; there is no need to
reapply.
- If you have lost or forgotten your PIN, you may Request A
Duplicate PIN at www.pin.ed.gov.
- If you are a dependent student, one parent is
required to sign the FAFSA using a Federal Student Aid PIN.
Parents may also Apply For A PIN at www.pin.ed.gov. Parents can use
the same PIN to sign the application of multiple children from one
year to the next.
- The Office of Financial Aid does not and cannot access your PIN
number.
Preparing to Complete the FAFSA
Completing the FAFSA
Complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.gov. The FAFSA is
available as of January 1 prior to the start of the academic
year.
- Complete the FAFSA accurately as directed in the instructions;
leave no spaces/fields blank.
- List Butler University (school code 001788) in the college
release section on the FAFSA.
- Send a separate letter to Butler University if you have special
circumstances not reflected on the FAFSA.
Submitting the FAFSA
- Complete the FAFSA and submit it online between on or before
March 1 each year to meet Butler's priority date.
- For Indiana residents, the FAFSA must be received by the
Federal Processing Center on or before March 10 and
be error-free by May 15 each year in order to be
considered for Indiana state grant programs.
- Do not mail the paper FAFSA to Butler University.
- Do not mail the FAFSA on the Web Worksheet.
For Your Records
When applying online, make sure you print out the confirmation
page provided at the end of your submission and provide an e-mail
address to the federal processor when asked. When mailing a paper
FAFSA, obtain a Certificate of Mailing from the post office to
verify the date your application was sent to the processor. Keep
your confirmation number or Certificate of Mailing with a copy of
your application and PIN for future reference.
FAFSA Questions for 5th year Physicians Assistant and 5th and
6th year Pharmacy Students
Professional/graduate level students need to file the FAFSA
using only student income and tax information, leaving parent
information blank. While change in filing will increase the Federal
Direct Loan eligibility to graduate student levels, the state and
federal grants will expire after four years of enrollment.
The following questions and appropriate answers pertain to
Physician Assistant students entering their rotations
and Pharmacy students entering the 5th and 6th
year of the program only.
Question: What degree or certificate will you
be working on during 2012-2013 academic year?
Answer: graduate/professional
Question: What will be your grade level when
you begin the 2012-2013 academic year?
Answer: 1st year graduate/professional
Question: Will you have your first bachelor's
degree before July 1, 2012?
Answer: If you do not hold a prior bachelor's
degree, mark "No" Note: This may create a flag on your Student Aid
Reports, but that is not a problem.
Question: Will you be working on a master's or
doctorate program during the school year 2012-2013?
Answer: Mark "Yes," and complete all sections of
the application pertaining to you, the student.