About the FAFSA

Federal Student Aid will host FAFSA webinar Tuesday, Dec. 10

The 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid form is now open, and on Dec. 10 the U.S. Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid will host a free webinar to help students, parents, and college/career professionals complete and submit the form. The webinar will feature:

  • A live demonstration of the 2025–26 FAFSA form.
  • An overview of the financial aid process, available federal student aid programs, and funding sources.
  • Key facts and common myths about financial aid.
  • A guide on creating and accessing a StudentAid.gov account.
  • A demonstration on where to find certain information on StudentAid.gov

To participate, follow the registration link below at Federal Student Aid.

REGISTER NOW

FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The U.S. Department of Education uses the financial and family information you provide on the FAFSA to calculate your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). The college you attend will use this EFC to determine the financial aid you are eligible to receive.

When to start your FAFSA

You can begin filling out the FAFSA as early as October 1 prior to the academic year you plan to enter college.

FAFSA is required to be considered for FDTC scholarships and grants. File your FAFSA by March 1 for best consideration.

You will need your name, social security number, date of birth, address and federal tax return. If you are a dependent student, you will also need this information for your parent. If you are married, you will need your spouses’ federal tax return.

Please use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool when completing your FAFSA. This tool will automatically populate the tax information on your FAFSA and minimize the paperwork the financial aid office will need from you. For the 2023/2024 FAFSA your 2021 tax information will be used. For more information about using this tool click the box below labeled IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

If you need assistance completing the FAFSA, call the Financial Aid Office at 843-661-8085 or email FinancialAid@fdtc.edu and we will schedule an appointment to assist you.

File Your FAFSA

FDTC School Code: 003990

If you're selected for verification ...

Verification of financial aid application information is required of at least one-third of all applicants and are selected by the Department of Education.  During the verification process, the college will compare the information from the students' application with the prior years IRS tax transcript(s) and/or other financial documents. If there are differences between the application information and the financial documents, the college will send corrections electronically to have your information reprocessed. Students selected for verification must complete a verification worksheet (see below) and submit it to the Financial Aid Center along with financial documents.  Students requiring assistance may contact the Financial Aid Center.  Students who are not selected for verification should not submit these documents.

What students selected for verification should do:

  1. Independent student:  If your tax information was not linked from the IRS to your FAFSA, then request copies of your (and your spouse's) IRS tax transcript from www.irs.gov, or sign on to your FAFSA and link the tax information from the IRS.
  2. Dependent student:  If your and your parent's tax information was not linked from the IRS to your FAFSA, then request copies of your and your parent's IRS tax transcript from www.irs.gov, or sign on to your FAFSA and link the tax information from the IRS.
  3. Complete the required verification form from the financial aid forms page.
  4. Deliver or mail the completed worksheet, tax forms, and any other documents to the Financial Aid Center.

After submission of verification form, IRS tax transcripts, etc., all data will be verified. If discrepancies are found, the FA office will make the necessary corrections and re-submit the form. Allow approximately 2-3 weeks for this process. If you have any questions regarding the verification documents that you need to provide to the Financial Aid Center, please contact the FA office.

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