Applying for Financial Aid

Important Application Info

UMFK’s school code is 002041. Please add this school code to your FAFSA.

• Complete your FAFSA online at the Federal Student Aid website.
• You can find more details at the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators’ website.

Applying for Financial Aid

All eligible students must complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) online for financial aid consideration.

Things to know before completing the FAFSA:

• You must be a U.S. Citizen or eligible non-citizen to apply.
• Acquire appropriate FSA IDs and passwords, which is/are required for all FAFSA Contributors (i.e., people who have some of their information on your FAFSA). FSA IDs should be established at least three days before completing the FAFSA.
• Be careful to select the FAFSA for the correct academic year. Example: the 2024-2025 FAFSA will cover the Fall 2024, Spring 2025, and Summer 2025 periods.
• List the University of Maine at Fort Kent (school code 002041) as a recipient school for UMFK to receive your FAFSA information electronically.
• Use the Direct Data Exchange (DDX) tool on your FAFSA if eligible to do so. If you grant permission, the tool will automatically import your IRS tax information directly onto your FAFSA. (Note: IRS tax amounts transferred will not be visible to you.)
• A FAFSA can be completed online at the Federal Student Aid website.

Most unmarried students under 24 require two FSA IDs, their own and at least one parent’s. Sometimes, both parents need an FSA ID, depending on the family situation. Create an FSA ID through the U.S. Department of Education. An FSA ID is now required to submit a FAFSA online. Your FSA ID can be used year to year, and parents can use the same ID to sign their own student FAFSA or those of multiple children from one year to the next. Returning students can access their Renewal FAFSA online yearly using their FSA ID. Safeguard your FSA ID.

You should gather all necessary information before completing your FAFSA. A worksheet is available online and can be helpful as you organize information before completing the form.

If you’ve already filed a FAFSA for the previous year, follow the FAFSA renewal process, which will pre-populate answers to some questions for you.

The summary of the information that was placed on your FAFSA is available for you to view from the FAFSA Submission Summary. You can make corrections or add another school to receive your data through the FAFSA application.

We highly recommend filing your FAFSA by February 1st to meet our priority filing date of March 1st, to be considered an “on time” applicant, and to receive full consideration for all aid programs.

One to two weeks after you submit your FAFSA, you can check on its status to see if UMFK has received it in your Student Center in MaineStreet under “FAFSA Status.”

While completed financial aid applications will be considered anytime during the academic year, some assistance programs may be exhausted if you file after the March 1st deadline.

Verification

Sometimes, the U.S. Department of Education (or the school) selects an application for verification, meaning additional information or clarification is needed before we can process your application. If selected for this process, you’ll need to provide us with other documents before we can review your file and determine your aid package.

Students who require additional documents to complete their financial aid file will receive a letter by mail from us requesting the information. The requested documents will also be posted in the student’s “To Do” List in their Student Center in MaineStreet.

Typically, the Verification process consists of providing a Verification Worksheet or some other document. Most required forms will be available to print from the student’s “To Do” List in MaineStreet. We no longer ask for 1040 forms, but you might be required to provide an IRS tax transcript or other IRS tax document. Tax Transcripts can be requested from the IRS website. Responding quickly to our requests ensures a timely review of your application.

Answers to Your FAFSA Questions

Please check out the links below if you still have questions about the FAFSA application process.