You’ve filed your FAFSA—now what?
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Check your FAFSA
Review the status of your FAFSA three to five days after you submit it. Make any necessary corrections as soon as possible to make sure your financial aid is processed quickly and accurately.
Be sure to avoid these common mistakes:
- You and/or your parent did not sign the FAFSA using your FSA ID
- You selected to apply for a Direct Unsubsidized Loan only
- You forgot to list our school code: IU Indianapolis 001813
- You used an incorrect Social Security Number
Your FAFSA will be processed with the information you provide, so make sure everything is correct.
In some cases, you may need to make specific changes to your FAFSA to meet eligibility requirements for awards from the state. Check ScholarTrack for details.
Verify your information
You may be asked to verify the information you provided on your FAFSA before you can be declared eligible to receive financial aid. If you’re selected for verification, we’ll contact you by email and your To-Do List to tell you what you need to do.
Verification tasks
The most common verification tasks are submitting a tax return transcript or a verification of non-filing form. Be sure to complete verification as quickly as you can and turn in all required documents at the same time to avoid delays with your financial aid. We’ll process your file within three weeks after we have all your documentation.
Don’t wait too long. If you submit your documentation at the end of the semester, there is no guarantee that your verification will be completed before the last day of classes. This could affect your financial aid eligibility, and we may be required to cancel any existing awards you received.
Complete your verification
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Check your IU email
Email is our primary way of communicating with you. Watch for important updates and documentation requests—if you miss a crucial message, it could delay your aid.
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Take care of your to-do list
Anything that appears on your list must be completed in order for you to receive your awards. Check your list regularly and turn in all requested documents as soon as possible—most forms take at least 10 business days to process.
Accept, reduce, or decline your funding
Grants and scholarships are automatically accepted on your behalf since they represent money that you don’t have to earn or pay back. You must manually accept, reduce, or decline all other awards through the View/Manage my Financial Aid Information application on One.IU every year you are in school—otherwise, they won’t be applied to your bursar bill.
Complete your Master Promissory Note
If you accept part or all of a Federal Direct Loan, you’ll need to complete entrance counseling and sign a master promissory note (MPN).
Authorize IU Indianapolis to use your aid
You must sign a Title IV authorization if you want your Title IV financial aid–such as Federal Pell Grants and Federal Direct Loans–to go toward charges other than tuition and fees (for example, your parking permit or meal plan). We strongly recommend that you complete this authorization at least 10 days before your classes begin.
Sign up for direct deposit
If your financial aid is greater than your bursar bill, you’ll be sent a refund for the difference. With direct deposit, you’ll get that money faster.
Grant third-party user access
If you want to let a parent, spouse, sponsor, or other person to be able to check on your financial aid, you can grant them access.
IU Indianapolis
Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships
420 University Blvd
Indianapolis, IN 46202
USA