To be considered for federal grants or loans, state grants and/or institutional need based financial aid, students must file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) each year at https://studentaid.gov. The FAFSA application opens October 1 for the next academic year.

Both student and parents (if student is dependent) will need a Federal Student Aid ID (FSA ID) and password to provide consent and electronically sign the FAFSA application. The FAFSA generates a Student Aid Index (SAI) which is used to determine eligibility for various aid programs. To qualify for federal financial aid, a student must be a United States citizen or an eligible non-citizen. Additionally, a student must be enrolled in a degree seeking program and maintain satisfactory academic progress to receive financial aid.

FAFSA processing takes approximately 2-3 days. CIA’s school code 003982.

For general information about planning and paying for college, details and instructions on the FAFSA and information on federal student loans and grant programs, go to http://studentaid.gov.

Links to all Office of Financial Aid forms and helpful information on the types of grants, loans, work-study, are found at: https://www.cia.edu/financial-aid/.