File Your FAFSA

Every student needs an FSA ID to log in securely to the FAFSA. Each contributor (such as a parent or spouse) must also create a separate FSA ID and complete their section of the FAFSA. Use our FAFSA contributor tool to determine your dependency status and whether a student, parent and/or spouse needs to complete the FAFSA as a contributor.

• Use different emails and phone numbers for each FSA ID
• Ensure your name and SSN match your Social Security card.
• Use a personal email address, not your high school account.
• Write down your ID and keep it safe. You’ll use it every year to submit a FAFSA, update personal information and access your federal aid information.

Create your FSA ID

Once you have created your FSA ID, you will be given the option to verify your email and phone number. We recommend verifying both. This will make logging into the FAFSA faster and easier.

When completing the form, be sure to:

• Add Bowling Green State University – school code 003018 – as one of your schools. You can list up to 20 schools.
• Select the correct academic year application. The FAFSA is often available for both the current and upcoming academic years.
• We strongly encourage the student to start the FAFSA and invite contributors to complete their sections.
• Manually enter family size. Don’t leave it blank. The number of household members in college will be collected but is not included in the Student Aid Index (SAI) calculation.
• Make sure you know whether you filed a federal tax return. You’ll use your tax information from two years prior. For instance, if you’re filling out a 2026-27 FAFSA, you’ll use tax info from 2024.
• All contributors and the student must give permission to use their tax information. Your tax information will then automatically be added into the FAFSA from the IRS. Even if you didn’t file taxes that year, you must still give permission. A student will be ineligible for financial aid if permission is not given.
• Make sure all contributors sign and submit the form.
• Poverty guidelines and the Student Aid Index number are used to determine Federal Pell Grant eligibility for undergraduate students.

Start your FAFSA

The Department of Education will email you when they’re finished processing your FAFSA (usually within 1-3 business days after online submission).

You will then be able to view your FAFSA submission summary – the data you reported on the FAFSA – on studentaid.gov.

• Review it for accuracy.
• Correct any errors by logging back into the FAFSA website.
• Your Student Aid Index (SAI) will appear in the summary. This number is generated after you submit the FAFSA. Universities use the SAI as a starting point to determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid like grants, work-study and subsidized loans and to determine how much financial support you and your family can reasonably contribute toward your education for the year. The SAI range is -1500 (highest need) to 999,999. The number is the same for every school you list on your FAFSA.
• Keep your summary for your records. (You don’t need to send it to BGSU.)
• Contact the U.S. Department of Education if you don’t receive your summary or have questions.

The BGSU financial aid office may email you to request the necessary documents to finalize your aid. Financial aid forms

Verification: Some students are selected by the Department of Education to verify FAFSA details. Aid cannot be processed until verification is complete. View verification details.

BGSU uses your Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA to calculate your financial aid eligibility. You’ll receive an email to your BGSU account in March or April once your financial aid offer is ready. You can view your offer and financial aid status in MyBGSU.

Has your financial situation changed since submitting the FAFSA? Contact Student Financial Aid and Scholarships to discuss filing a special consideration appeal.