Financial Aid Process:
Applying for FAFSA

Financial Aid Process
FAFSA Tips
Financial Aid Awards

Applying for Financial Aid

Applying for financial aid should not be a complicated and worrisome process. As an accredited learning institution, Purdue Global can help qualified students apply for- and receive Title IV federal financial aid for many of our degree programs.

On this page, you will find detailed step-by-step information on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) process. Additionally, the Financial Aid Information Guide PDF provides information about each of the steps.

Important federal student aid information is also accessible on the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website.

Purdue Global's School Code is 004586.

NOTE: There are major changes and improvements to the 2024–2025 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form as a result of the FAFSA Simplification Act. Learn about the 2024–2025 FAFSA and the changes.


See Notes and Conditions below for important information.

Applying for Financial Aid Tips

FATV: Applying for Financial Aid

How to Apply for Financial Aid

  • Step 1: Obtain FSA ID

    How to Obtain Your FSA ID

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    View FATV FSA ID Video

    Your U.S. Department of Education Federal Student Aid Identification (FSA ID) account will be used as your electronic signature. It allows you to electronically sign your FAFSA, check its status online, and access your account information. Getting your FSA ID is the first necessary step in the financial aid process.

    Contributors

    Anyone asked to provide information on the FAFSA application — student, student's spouse, student's parent(s) and/or stepparent(s) — is a "contributor" to the application. Every contributor to an applicant's FAFSA form will need to create an FSA ID.

    Note: Contributors who don’t have an SSN can create a FSA ID to complete their section of your FAFSA form.

    Create an Account (FSA ID)

    To obtain your FSA ID, go to the "Create an Account (FSA ID)" section of the Federal Student Aid website. Simply complete the application and submit it. You will then be able to instantly view your FSA ID online. You'll receive an email once your information is matched with the SSA (1–3 days after applying). Once you receive it, use it to sign your application and keep it in a secure place. Only you can create your FSA ID using your personal information. Do not share your FSA ID with anyone.

    IMPORTANT: Students should print a copy — or take a screenshot — of the information their contributors enter on the "Personal Information" page when they create their FSA ID. You will need to enter this same information exactly as entered when inviting the contributor to your FAFSA form.

    Financial Aid for Non-U.S. Citizens

    Aid From Your Home Country

    Contact the cultural section of your country’s embassy or ministry of education to inquire about financial aid options and their requirements.

    Aid From the U.S. Government

    The majority of U.S. government financial assistance is not available to international students. The U.S. government does provide aid to students from specific countries—you can get more information from your embassy or the U.S. State Department.

  • Step 2: Complete FAFSA

    Complete Your FAFSA

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    View FATV FAFSA Overview Video

    The FAFSA is used to apply for federal student financial aid such as the Pell Grant, student loans, and federal work-study. Completing the FAFSA is essential to determining your financial aid eligibility.

    Once you have your FSA ID, go to the Federal Student Aid website to fill out your FAFSA application. Please note: if you plan to attend college between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, you will need to complete the 2024–2025 FAFSA using income and tax information from 2022.

    Helpful Tips to Successfully Complete Your FAFSA

    • You will be asked for a school code for Purdue Global: 004586.
    • You will be asked to provide your high school completion status on your FAFSA. Please select one of the following: high school diploma, GED, homeschooled, or none of the above. Do not leave this question blank.
    • On the Sign and Submit Page, you will agree to the terms outlined, then select "Sign and Submit." If you did not sign in to your application using your FSA ID, you will be prompted to enter your FSA ID (username/password) to complete your electronic signature.

    View Materials You Will Need to Complete Your FAFSA

    Once you have filled out the application, please complete the following:

    • Use your FSA ID to electronically sign your FAFSA.
    • Click on "Sign and Submit FAFSA Form."
    • Students and contributors will get confirmation when they complete their section of the FAFSA form. This confirmation does not mean the form was submitted, only that the section is complete.
    • If your "Confirmation" page has a confirmation number, you have successfully submitted your FAFSA and should print this page for your records.
    • At any time, students can check the status of their 2024–2025 FAFSA form from the "My Activity" page after logging in to StudentAid.gov.

    After You Successfully Submit Your FAFSA

    Once all student and contributor portions of the form are complete, the student or a contributor can submit the FAFSA form. After you successfully submit your FAFSA form, you’ll receive a "Confirmation" page with a confirmation number. Based on your FAFSA results, the Student Finance Office will then put together your estimated financial aid award.

    How to Correct Errors in Your FAFSA

    You should receive a FAFSA Submission Summary via email in 3 days. If you did not provide a valid email address, a paper FAFSA Submission Summary will be sent via postal mail to the address provided in the FAFSA. This could take up to 4 weeks.

    Your FAFSA Submission Summary will be ready to view on the FAFSA website 1–3 days after your FAFSA submission. This report will state your Student Aid Index (SAI), restate what you put on the FAFSA, and give you the opportunity to correct wrong information.

    If you make corrections to your application, the Student Finance Office will then revise your funding offer and send you a copy for your review. The revised funding offer will tell you what financial aid you are eligible to receive after the changes have been made.

    How To Avoid Errors When Completing Your FAFSA
  • Step 3: FAFSA Verification

    FAFSA Verification Process

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    View FATV FAFSA Verification Video

    Verification is a process used to ensure the accuracy of the information supplied on the FAFSA. Approximately 18% of the students who complete the FAFSA are randomly selected for verification by the U.S. Department of Education.

    Read about helpful FAFSA Tips and related verification errors.

    How to Find Out If Your Application Is Selected for Verification

    To find out if you are selected for verification, read the comments on the first page of your FAFSA Submission Summary sent to you by the Department of Education. If you have not received your FAFSA Submission Summary, you can check it online. Go to studentaid.gov and select your processed FAFSA submission or contact your Student Finance Coordinator as soon as possible.

    What to Do If Your FAFSA Is Selected for Verification

    If you receive notification that you have been selected for verification, contact your Student Finance Coordinator if you have any questions. Next, you should collect copies of documents that the Student Finance Office requests. There are a few common documents that will always be required to complete verification. In some cases, these documents will be enough; in other cases, your Student Finance Coordinator will contact you for additional information.

    Common Required Forms

    • Dependent or Independent Verification Worksheet
    • Copy of your official federal tax return transcript. You can obtain your federal tax return transcript online or through phone/fax. You will need your Social Security number (SSN) or your Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), date of birth, and address from your latest tax return.
  • Step 4: Loan Entrance Counseling

    Student Loan Entrance Counseling Quiz

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    View FATV Loan Entrance Tutorial Video

    The U.S. Department of Education requires that all students seeking to borrow under the Federal Direct Loan program participate in loan entrance counseling before receiving funds. To help you satisfy this requirement, visit the Entrance Counseling section of the Federal Student Aid website. Please note, to complete this Entrance Counseling, you will need your FSA ID to access your loan.

    During entrance counseling, you will learn about the following:

    • What a Direct Loan is and how the loan process works
    • Managing your education expenses
    • Other financial resources to consider to help pay for your education
    • Your rights and responsibilities as a borrower


    For more information, please visit the Federal Student Aid website.

  • Step 5: Promissory Note

    Master Promissory Note

    Now you are ready to obtain and sign the Master Promissory Note (MPN). All financial aid-seeking students must complete an MPN. You must do this before you can receive your loan. The MPN should be completed electronically via studentaid.gov.

    The MPN is a binding contract between you and your lender. The document states your obligation to repay your financial aid loans. The MPN can be used for both subsidized and unsubsidized loans and for one or more academic years (up to 10 years).

    To receive your loans without delay, your MPN must be completed as soon as possible. This MPN will be used for all of your loans over multiple academic years. More information on how to complete your MPN can be found on the student loans page of this site.

  • Step 6: Your Funding Offer

    Funding Offer

    After you have submitted your FAFSA and signed electronically with your FSA ID, Purdue Global will be notified of its completion. Once the school receives your eligibility information and you have met all requirements, a projected funding offer will be provided to you by Purdue Global’s Student Finance Office. The projected funding offer is an estimate of what you will receive in federal, state, and Purdue Global aid and/or scholarships.

    You should review your funding offer with a Student Finance Office Coordinator at the University. Please note that this funding offer estimation is subject to change based on student information contained in the Institutional Student Information Record (ISIR), which is sent to Purdue Global by the federal government.

More FAFSA Tips

Materials Needed to Fill Out a FAFSA

  • Driver's license and Social Security card
  • Income tax returns
  • Records of child support received
  • Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
  • Records of your assets such as investments, businesses, and farms
  • Your FSA ID
  • Your contributor's information

Avoiding Errors When Completing Your FAFSA

  • Do not leave a field blank.
  • Use the 1040 federal income tax return form, not the W-2 form, for reporting income and taxes paid.
  • Do not use nicknames, use your legal name as it appears on your Social Security card.
  • When inviting contributors to your FAFSA form, you must enter their personal information to match exactly with the information they provided when creating their FSA ID.
  • If a contributor has not yet created an FSA ID, when inviting contributors to your FAFSA form, list contributor information exactly as it appears on their Social Security card or legal identification card.
  • Don’t forget to submit the FAFSA form after all of your contributors have signed and all sections are completed.

Learn About FAFSA C-Codes

When the U.S. Department of Education processes a FAFSA, the processor may place a C-code on the applicant's FAFSA Submission Summary. This code acts as an alert for the student and the Student Finance Office to indicate that the student cannot receive aid until a given issue is resolved.

Common C-Codes

Default

If you are notified that you are not entitled to Title IV student loans because your application for financial aid states that you are in default, usually, if you make six consecutive payments on your defaulted student loan debt, the lender will provide you with a default clearance letter. You can then forward it to the Purdue Global Student Finance Office. After our review and approval, you will regain eligibility to receive Title IV funds.

You can check the status of your file and the history of your student loans by visiting studentaid.gov.

If you have already paid your loans but your status still shows you are in default, contact your lender or the Department of Education at 800-433-3243 (Toll Free) and ask them to provide you with your default clearance letter.

Overpayment

An overpayment means that you received grant funds in excess of your eligibility. When the account dashboard on studentaid.gov indicates that you have received at least one overpayment of federal student aid funds, you are required to repay the excess. You are not eligible to receive any federal student aid until your overpayment is resolved.

To resolve a Pell overpayment issue, call the Department of Education at 800-621-3115 (Toll Free). They will provide you with options to clear this issue. Once your overpayment is cleared, the Department of Education will provide you with an overpayment clearance letter that you can submit to the Purdue Global Student Finance Office. After our review and approval, you will be again entitled to receive Title IV funds.

Loan Limits

According to your school level (graduate or undergraduate), there is an established amount of funds you can borrow during a lifetime. If you are close to reaching the limit or have exceeded it, you might not be able to borrow more to help you cover the cost of your tuition.

You can check the status of your file and the history of your student loans by visiting studentaid.gov. If you have exceeded your loan limit, we have other options available to help you cover the cost of your tuition. Ask your Student Finance Coordinator about alternative loan options to fund your education.

Permanently Discharged Student Loans

Students who in the past had their loans discharged for medical conditions are not entitled to receive Title IV aid unless an official doctor’s certification is submitted, which states that the student has the ability to engage in substantial gainful activity, along with a signed personal statement, which states that as a student, you are aware that the new FSA loan cannot be discharged later for any present impairment unless it deteriorates so that you are again totally or permanently disabled.

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NOTES AND CONDITIONS

Financial Aid: Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Eligibility is based on U.S. Department of Education criteria and is determined from data submitted on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Students have the right and ability to choose any lender they wish, and the University does not require that any loans be obtained from any particular lender or source.