Guidance for Students 

Financial Aid Requirement

Get to know Texas’ financial aid application graduation requirement

Since the 2021–22 school year, all students graduating from a Texas public school district or open-enrollment charter school need to take one of the following actions to graduate: 

• • Complete and submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
  • Complete and submit the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)
  • Submit a signed opt-out form to their school counselor

Understanding the opt-out option

In certain cases, students can opt out of the graduation requirement by submitting a signed opt-out form to a school counselor or administrator. There is also a Spanish opt-out form available.

You can make this decision based on personal circumstances. Your school counselor can help answer questions, address your concerns, and provide guidance regarding this graduation requirement and which choice may be the best fit for you. You are able to opt out of completing the financial aid application through one of the following ways: 

• • Option I: You are aged 18 or older or are an emancipated minor under Chapter 31, Texas Family Code. 

• • Option II: Your parent or guardian declines on your behalf or authorizes you to decline. Your signature may also be required depending on the option selected on the form. 

• • Option III: Your school counselor authorizes you to decline for good cause, as defined by local policy. Both you and your school counselor must sign the opt-out form. 

Remember, you can always apply for financial aid later, even if you choose to opt out of the graduation requirement. 

Learn about financial aid

Financial aid might be new to you. Before starting a financial aid application, consider this:

• • Submitting a financial aid application can open opportunities for a range of need-based and merit-based financial support for education and training after high school.
  • Financial aid comes in a variety of forms beyond student loans.
  • Many students qualify for financial aid, which can greatly reduce the overall cost for college or training after high school.
    

Note: In addition to the FAFSA or TASFA, students should review their college’s financial aid web page to see if any additional financial aid forms may be required, like the CSS Profile. 

Why should I care about applying for financial aid?
When you submit a financial aid application, it opens the door to many types of financial aid. These different funding sources can help pay for your education after high school.

What financial aid is out there?
There are several types of financial aid:

• Grants: Free money that doesn’t have to be repaid. Grants are often based on a student’s financial need. You usually get these from the government or from your college. Find a list of state grants and loan programs on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) website. In Texas, some colleges offer programs that cover eligible students’ tuition and, in some cases, mandatory fees. View the Texas Tuition Guarantee chart to learn more. 
• Scholarships: Another form of free money that doesn’t need to be paid back. You can get scholarships for just about anything! To find scholarships, talk with your high school counselor or advisor and search the local community for opportunities. See What is a Scholarship and how do Scholarships Work? or watch Qué es una beca y qué tipos de beca existen for more scholarship information in Spanish.
• Student loans: Money you borrow to pay for your education or educational expenses. After graduating or ending your program of study, you’ll have to pay back the money you borrowed, plus any interest accrued. Loans from the federal government often have much better interest rates and loan terms than what you can get from a private bank or credit union. See Federal Student Aid for more information on federal loans.
• Work-study programs: Money you work for while you’re in college. Work-study allows you to earn money for college through a part-time job. Work-study jobs are usually offered through the college and offer flexible work hours to accommodate student schedules. You’ll need to look for and apply to jobs through your college after you’ve been accepted. Read Federal Student Aid’s Work Study Page for more information.

There is a lot of information about financial aid online, so it can seem overwhelming! Fortunately, you can familiarize yourself with common FAQs and commonly used financial aid terms by reading through College Board’s BigFuture Get Help Paying for College web page.   

How will financial aid help me pay for college?
If you’ve looked into the cost of college or training after high school, then you already know that at most schools, it isn’t cheap. But when you research college costs, you’ll often find a school’s sticker price or cost of attendance (COA). The COA is an estimate of what the average student pays to attend the school.

But it’s likely that you won’t have to pay the full sticker price. To discover what you will pay to attend a specific program after high school, you have to find the net price. The net price is the school’s COA (sticker price) minus any grants or scholarships you receive. Remember, that’s free money you don’t have to pay back. You can cover the net price using other forms of financial aid such as work-study funds or loans. Or you can pay it through personal savings, job earnings, or family support.

See how financial aid can help you lower your education costs each year:

Note: The table reflects max award amounts for each grant. Depending on a student’s financial need, institutions may provide other awards. For students without significant financial need may receive less than what is listed.

Conversation starter: Most students need to report parent information on their financial aid application. Parent refers to your legal (biological and/or adoptive or as determined by the state) parent or stepparent. Share this financial aid table with your family, so they understand how their help can benefit you!

What is the truth about financial aid applications?

Applying for financial aid can be confusing, or maybe you think that it’s not worth all the extra work because you think you won’t qualify to receive aid. Some people may even be nervous about completing an application that requires sensitive personal information. Check out the following helpful resources to learn the truth about these applications so that you can make the best decision for yourself: 

• Debunking financial aid myths in English 

• Debunking financial aid myths in Spanish 

Get ready to complete your financial aid application

Now that you know the benefits of applying for financial aid, it’s time to answer the following questions:

• • Do I submit the FAFSA or the TASFA?
  • What is my timeline for submitting my financial aid application?
  • What information do I need to get started on my application?
  • How do I complete my application?

Keep reading to get the answers you need.

Which application should I complete?

You can complete one of the following applications to apply for financial aid:

• • The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
    • Application for federal, state, and institutional aid
    • Available to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and certain eligible noncitizens
  • The Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA)
    • Application for state and institutional aid
    • Available to Texas residents who do not complete the FAFSA. You can also reference the Spanish State Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements document to share with family.  

When can I apply for financial aid?

Every year, financial aid applications open October 1. This is the earliest date you can apply to receive aid during the upcoming school year. States and colleges use financial aid application information to award their own grants, scholarships, and loans, so you should aim to submit your application as quickly and accurately after the application opens. This will improve your chances of qualifying for the most grant, scholarship, and work-study aid.

There are three major financial aid deadlines to mark in your calendar:

• • State priority deadline – In Texas, the state priority deadline is January 15 of the current academic year. Try to apply by this date to qualify for the most aid possible.
  • College deadline – Each college has its own priority deadline. Most four-year public colleges in Texas use the state priority deadline of January 15. However, you should always double check with the college. Apply by the college’s deadline to qualify for the most grants and scholarships (free money).
  • Federal deadline – The federal filing deadline and absolute last day to submit your financial aid application is June 30 of the school year you're requesting aid. For example, the federal deadline for the 2027-2028 application is June 30, 2028. However, try to submit your application by the earliest priority deadline set by the state or college. The longer you wait to submit your application, the less likely it is that financial aid will be available.

Pro tip: For financial aid, each school year starts on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year. Make sure your application is for the school year in which you need financial aid, not the current academic year.

Resource spotlight*:

Print or bookmark these documents to keep track of important deadlines: 

• • • Financial aid timeline in English 

• • • Financial aid timeline in Spanish 

Need regular reminders to help you stay on track? You can receive free virtual advising support via text message! The THECB developed a chatbot named ADVi– short for advisor – to provide you with on-demand support to help ensure that you receive the information you need to access higher education.

When you sign up to receive messages from ADVi, you get:  

• • • weekly tips and reminders about upcoming deadlines, along with nudges to complete key college application and enrollment milestones; 
    • 24/7 access to an AI-powered virtual advisor that can answer your questions via text; 
    • backup support from our virtual advisors if you have needs or questions beyond what ADVi can provide; 
    • information and tips to help with college applications, planning, and financial aid; and 
    • resources to help navigate the transition to college. 

If you're a high school senior (12th grade), you can sign up for ADVi texts through your ApplyTexas account, My Texas Future profile, or both! If you don't receive an invitation to sign up for ADVi on your account dashboards, review your account settings and make sure you've turned on SMS/text message notifications.   

 Once you've opted in to ADVi, you should receive your first text within a week!   

Currently, ADVi only sends outgoing text messages in English. However, you can ask ADVi to respond to your questions in a different language by texting #language (Don’t forget the #!). You can also text #human at any time to forward your message to a trained college advisor for personalized support. 

Is there anything I need to do before starting my application?

Completing a financial aid application is quick and easy if you have the right information and know who to ask for help. Just follow these steps:

1. Figure out if you’re a dependent or independent student. Dependent students have to report parental income on their application. . Texas OnCourse has the following guides ready for your use in determining dependency status: 

• • • Financial aid dependency guide in English 

• • • Financial aid dependency guide in Spanish 

2. Figure out which income to report. Independent students do not need to report parental income on their application, but dependent students do. If you are a dependent student, you need to figure out which parent’s income to report on your application. Texas OnCourse has the following documents available to determine which parent to report: 

• • • Which parent do I report? infographic in English 

• • • Which parent do I report? Infographic in Spanish 

3. FAFSA students only: Create a StudentAid.gov account. Your account will serve as your username and password for the application, as well as your legal signature. Try to complete this step before starting your application. Be sure to use a personal email address to create your account. You won’t have access to your high school email address after graduating, and you will use the same StudentAid.gov account every year that you apply for financial aid. Watch Federal Student Aid’s account tutorial to learn how to create a StudentAid.gov account. Each parent or guardian that provides financial information will also need to create a StudentAid.gov account, so be sure to share these instructions with them.  

4. Gather the materials you’ll need. The financial aid forms ask for your personal and tax information. They also ask dependent students to provide parental information. You’ll need to gather tax return copies, bank statements, W2s, and more. Use the following checklists to ensure that you have everything you need to complete your form: 

• • • Financial aid application checklist in English 

• • • Financial aid application checklist in Spanish 

5. Seek help when needed. Some students don’t live with a biological parent or have complicated situations that may make completing a financial aid application seem impossible. Visit your school counselor to help with this process. Resources and answers are available – you just need to ask! 

How do I apply?

• • To complete the FAFSA, visit studentaid.gov.
  • To complete the TASFA, visit the TASFA web page from the THECB website to complete the online TASFA or download a pdf application.  If you complete a paper TASFA, contact each college’s financial aid office for submission instructions. Depending on the college, you may need mail the application or submit it through a secure platform.

If you do the right work ahead of time, the application should take less than an hour to complete!

Get support on your application

Ask your school counselor or college and career advisor for support to complete your application. Your high school might host financial aid events to help students and their families. You can also schedule a meeting with your school counselor or advisor for one-on-one support. More support may be available in your community, too.

Keep this in mind: The better your school counselor or advisor understands your needs, the better they can support you on your application.

• • Students who filed FAFSA: Use the pdf version of the FAFSA to preview questions you’ll see on the online FAFSA. You can write out notes or questions for your school counselor or advisor.  You can also access the Spanish pdf version of the FAFSA in case your family would like to familiarize themselves with the types of questions listed on the form. 

• • Students who filed TASFA: Print a copy of your TASFA form and highlight any areas of confusion. Be sure to review the notes on pages 7–13. They answer a lot of the questions that students and families often struggle with.  that students and families often struggle with.  

If you want to complete your application at home, check out the following resources:

• • How to create a StudentAid.gov account 
  • A step-by-step guide to completing the FAFSA 
  • Financial aid FAQs (English) 
  • Financial aid FAQs (Spanish) 
  • Online TASFA Walkthrough (English) 
  • Online TASFA Walkthrough (Spanish)  
  • Annotated Paper TASFA (English) 
  • Annotated Paper TASFA (Spanish)

Follow up on your financial aid application

After you submit the FAFSA or TASFA, you’ll need to take a few more steps to ensure that you have the financial aid you need for college or training after high school. Review this list of action items below. 

• Make sure your application was correctly submitted and received by the college.

• • If you’ve completed the FAFSA, check your Federal Student Aid account by logging in with the StudentAid.gov account username and password you created when you submitted the application. Students who filed the TASFA will need to contact the college’s financial aid office directly. 

• • FAFSA only: Review the FAFSA Submission Summary. This document will show your Student Aid Index (SAI) and an estimate of the financial aid you may be eligible to receive. To learn more, watch What Happens After Submitting your FAFSA Form? from the Federal Student Aid website
• Respond to any requests for verification.
  • Schools may need more information to determine your eligibility for financial aid. Send any documents as soon as possible after they’re requested. This process is called verification. If selected for verification, colleges and universities may request a copy of the tax return transcript you used to complete your FAFSA, or other information to verify eligibility for aid. Colleges will not award your eligible financial aid until you provide the requested items. To learn more about what happens after your FAFSA Form is processed, visit Federal Student Aid’s How to Review and Correct Your FAFSA Form page.
• Review your financial aid offers and decide what aid you want to accept.
  • You don’t have to accept all the aid offered to you. You can choose to select some, all, or none of the financial aid offered to you based on your situation and need. Review the Questions to Consider for Award Letters list in English or Questions to Consider for Award Letters list in Spanish to better analyze your financial aid offers. In general, you should always accept gift aid, such as scholarships and grants, before accepting loans. If you accept loans, make sure you and your parents or guardians understand the loan terms and interest rates. Pay attention to whether the aid you’re receiving is renewable in future years. For more information, read Federal Student Aid’s Accepting Financial Aid page. You can also use uAspire’s College Cost Calculator to help analyze and compare financial aid offers. 
• Consider if your situation has changed.
  • Your financial aid award is based on prior-prior year income. That means, if you’re applying to receive financial aid to attend college in the 2027-2028 school year, you’ll provide income information from 2025 tax returns. A lot can change in two years! People can move or lose jobs. New circumstances may arise that affect your income or ability to pay for tuition. If you feel like your financial aid application does not reflect your current situation, you can appeal your award offers after your application has been processed by your schools. Contact the school you plan to attend to confirm their appeal process. They will likely request an appeal letter. You can work with your school counselor or advisor to begin drafting the letter and ensure you submit all required materials for your appeal, based on the institution’s information on their financial aid web page. Use the following guides from uAspire to find information on how to appeal your financial aid and read through different sample templates: 

• • • How to appeal your financial aid 

• • • Sample financial aid appeal letters 
• Learn about how you get financial aid and when to expect it.
  • Depending on the type of aid offered, you may need to complete additional steps. For example, if you accept federal loans, you must complete entrance counseling and sign a master promissory note. If you accept a work-study award, you’ll need to apply for work-study jobs at your college. Read Federal Student Aid’s Receiving Financial Aid page to learn more about how and when you’ll receive your student aid payments. 
• Understand how to stay eligible for aid.
  • You’ll need to submit a financial aid application each year you continue your education. It’s important to understand both federal and school policies for maintaining financial aid eligibility. Read through the Federal Student Aid’s Staying Eligible article to learn about eligibility criteria, how to meet Satisfactory Academic Progress, and remind yourself to submit the FAFSA each year you continue to enroll in your postsecondary program. 

Big takeaways:

• • Stay on top of communication from the college by checking your email and college portals frequently. In addition, make sure to use a personal email address when working on any financial aid or college applications. The email address assigned by your high school won’t be available after you graduate and may block emails from organizations outside of your district! 
  • If you have a specific question about your financial aid application or aid offer, it’s always best to contact the college directly. Financial aid advisors are ready and willing to help you through the process.

Visit Federal Student Aid for more information on next steps after submitting your financial aid application.

• Homepage: My Texas Future 
• Article: State Grants and Loans
• PDF: Texas Tuition Guarantee Chart (English)
• Article: What are scholarships and how do they work?
• Video: Qué es una beca y qué tipos de beca existen
• Article: Student loans
• Article: Work study
  
• Homepage: Get Help Paying for College
•  PDF:Learning the facts about financial aid 
  • Debunking financial aid myths in English
  • Debunking financial aid myths in Spanish 

• Article: Federal student aid eligibility
• PDF: Texas residency requirements
  • Financial aid eligibility in English 
  •  Financial aid eligibility in Spanish  
• PDF: Important dates to remember
  • Financial aid timeline in English  
  • Financial aid timeline in Spanish 
• PDF: Determining  Dependency
  • Financial aid dependency guide in English
  • Financial aid dependency guide in Spanish 

• Determining which parent’s information to include
  • Which parent do I report? infographic  in English 
  • Which Parent Do I Report? infographic in Spanish 

• PDF: Materials needed to complete financial aid forms
  • Financial aid application checklist in English
  • Financial aid application checklist in Spanish
• Homepage: Create a StudentAid.gov account
• Video: How to Create an StudentAid.gov Account 
• Video: How to create an IRS account 
• Article: Su cuenta en línea 
• Video: How to download a tax transcript 
• Article: Obtenga su registro tributario  
• Video: Requesting a Verification of Non-filing Letter using a 4506-T Form 

• Website: Complete and submit the FAFSA (online application)
• PDF: Download and complete the FAFSA (paper application)
• Website: Complete and submit the TASFA (PDF version available in both English and Spanish)
• Presentation: Frequently asked questions about financial aid 
  • Financial Aid FAQs in English 
  • Financial Aid FAQs in Spanish 
• Presentation: How to complete the online TASFA  
  • TASFA Walkthrough Slides in English 
  • TASFA Walkthrough Slides in Spanish 
• PDF: How to complete the paper TASFA  
  • Annotated Paper TASFA in English 
  • Annotated Paper TASFA in Spanish 

• Video: What happens after submitting your FAFSA form?
• Article: How to review and correct a FAFSA
• Article: Accepting financial aid
• Homepage: College cost calculator
• Homepage: Student loan information center
• Article: How to stay eligible for federal student aid