Navigating FAFSA 2024

One key factor affecting the speed of this process is the delay by the Department of Education in providing Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR) files.

ISIR files are generated when a FAFSA is submitted. Colleges and universities use the data in these files to generate student aid packages.

In late January, the Department of Education announced that institutions won’t receive the files until mid-March. This delay will inevitably slow down the timeline for receiving information about your financial aid eligibility.

• You will receive a notification as soon as Missouri State receives your ISIR file.
• You will receive another notification once your aid package is available for review or if any additional information might be needed.
• You can review and accept your aid offer.
• You will find your aid package on the “Financial Aid & Scholarships” card on My.MissouriState.edu.

We understand that this situation may seem a bit uncertain. So, we are working hard to provide as much information as quickly as possible.

Once the Missouri State office of student financial aid receives your FAFSA information, they will determine if you are eligible for the following types of financial aid:

• Federal Pell Grant
• Federal Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant (SEOG)
• Federal Teacher Education Assistance Grant (TEACH)
• Federal subsidized and unsubsidized Stafford Loans
• Federal work study

The FAFSA questions ask for information about you (your name, date of birth, address, etc.) and about your financial situation. Depending on your circumstances (for instance, whether you’re a U.S. citizen or what tax form you used), you might need the following information or documents as you fill out the FAFSA application:

• Your Social Security number (it’s important that you enter it correctly on the FAFSA form!)

• Your parents’ Social Security numbers if you are a dependent student

• Your driver’s license number if you have one

• Your Alien Registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen

• Federal tax information or tax returns including IRS W-2 information, for you (and your spouse, if you are married), and for your parents if you are a dependent student:

• IRS 1040

• Foreign tax return or IRS 1040NR

• Tax return for Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, or Palau

• Records of your untaxed income, such as child support received, interest income, and veterans noneducation benefits, for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student

• Information on cash; savings and checking account balances; investments, including stocks and bonds and real estate (but not including the home in which you live); and business and farm assets for you, and for your parents if you are a dependent student.