Applying for Aid

You don’t have to complete the FAFSA to apply for scholarships, although we suggest you do — you could be eligible for other types of aid! Unlike other forms of financial assistance, you’ll need to apply for most scholarships individually, and the process will vary by program.

Using SFA's general application for hundreds of scholarships

SFA has hundreds of scholarships available to new and returning students. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships offers a scholarship portal that allows you to search and apply for SFA scholarships using a single application!

1. Visit sfasu.academicworks.com
2. Click the Sign In button and use your mySFA credentials.

Keep in mind the deadline to apply for the upcoming aid year. Within the application, you can request references by submitting names and email addresses, and complete essays when required.

You may also be eligible for outside scholarships. Read more about scholarships.

Do you need a FAFSA or a TAFSA? One of the first steps to applying for aid is determining your residency status. Then you’ll know which of the following financial aid applications to complete.

• U.S. citizens: online FAFSA application
• Eligible non-citizens: online FAFSA application
• Non-Citizen Texas Residents: online TASFA application

Expect to spend about 30 minutes completing your application. There’s no need to rush! Even though the FAFSA is an online application, you'll be able to save your progress.

• Your social security number
• Proof of residency card (if applicable)
• Your tax record (more information on tax records below)
• Your most recent W-2 forms or records of money earned

Follow these four important reminders when filling out the FAFSA application to ensure successful completion:

• Be sure you include SFA’s Title IV School Code: 003624
• Be sure you and all contributors provide consent for the IRS to transfer tax return information.
• Make sure you answer the High School Information section. Don't skip it!
• Verify your answers and check for accuracy — errors will delay the process.

A signed copy of your tax return or tax transcript may be requested if you are selected for verification.

Non-tax filers, including parents and independent students, that are selected for verification must submit a Non-Filing Letter from the IRS.

Federal regulations require SFA to monitor and resolve unusual enrollment history of selected students. SFA is required to review all of the applicant’s transcripts from previously attended colleges or universities. Therefore, all transcripts must be submitted to SFA whether credit was earned or not. After this additional verification is completed by SFA’s Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, it will be determined the if the student is eligible for additional Pell Grant awards.

Students may be selected by the federal processor to verify their identity and sign a statement of educational purpose. Valid Government-issued photo identification is required to satisfy this requirement.

All first-time college students are required to have a High School Diploma, GED, or an equivalent in order to receive financial aid. Documentation, such as an official high school transcript, may be requested to verify completion of this requirement.

To qualify for independent status, you must be able to answer “yes” to one of the following questions and be able to provide documentation.

• Were you born before January 1, 2002?
• As of today, are you married? (Also answer "yes" if you are separated but not divorced.)
• At the beginning of the 2025–26 school year, will you be enrolled in a master’s or doctoral program?
  • (MA, MBA, MD, JD, PhD, EdD, graduate certificate, etc.)
• Are you currently serving on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces for purposes other than training?
• Are you a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces?
• Do you now have—or will you have—children who will receive more than half of their support from you between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026?
• Do you have dependents (other than your children or spouse) who live with you and who receive more than half of their support from you, now and through June 30, 2026?
• At any time since you turned age 13, were both your parents deceased, were you in foster care, or were you a dependent or ward of the court?
• As determined by a court in your state of legal residence, are you or were you an emancipated minor?
• Does someone other than your parent or stepparent have legal guardianship of you, as determined by a court in your state of legal residence?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2024, did your high school or school district homeless liaison determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of being homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2024, did the director or designee of an emergency or transitional shelter, street outreach program, homeless youth drop-in center or other program serving those experiencing homelessness determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of becoming homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2024, did the director or designee of a project supported by a federal TRIO or GEAR UP program grant determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of becoming homeless?
• At any time on or after July 1, 2024, did a financial aid administrator determine that you were an unaccompanied youth who was homeless or were self-supporting and at risk of becoming homeless?

You are a non-degree seeking student if you haven’t officially been admitted into an SFA degree program but are taking classes here. This designation usually applies to post-baccalaureate students. You might be waiting for official admission into a graduate program, or you want to take a couple of classes without pursuing a degree.

As a non-degree student you are ineligible for financial aid.

The federal government considers you a noncitizen, eligible to complete the FAFSA, if you are any one of the following:

• U.S. permanent resident, with a Permanent Resident Card (formerly known as an Alien Registration Receipt Card or "Green Card”)
• Conditional permanent resident (I-551C)
• Other eligible noncitizen with an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the Department of Homeland Security showing any one of the following designations: Refugee, Asylum Granted, Indefinite Parole, Humanitarian Parole or Cuban-Haitian Entrant
• A citizen of the Republic of Palau (PW), the Republic of the Marshall Islands (MH) or the Federated States of Micronesia (FM)

If your citizenship status has recently changed from an eligible noncitizen to a U.S. citizen, contacting the Social Security Administration (SSA) to update your citizenship status will help you avoid delays processing your student financial aid.

Non-citizens classified as Texas residents for tuition purposes under HB 1403 or SB 1528 are not eligible to receive federal financial aid, but you may be eligible for state financial aid.

As a Texas resident, you may apply for state financial assistance by completing the TASFA. You will need to submit a completed TASFA application and a signed copy of the applicable tax return to the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. You'll need to submit your notarized affidavit to the Office of Admissions at admissionsdata@sfasu.edu.

We will review your TASFA application and determine if you meet the eligibility requirements for state financial assistance.

If you are not a citizen of the U.S. or an eligible non-citizen, you are not eligible for federal student aid. Contact the Office of International Programs.