Step-by-Step Guide to Applying for Aid

Your FSA ID is effectively an account that you'll use to log in to US Department of Education websites. It identifies you as a person entitled to your personal information on Department of Education systems, which includes the FAFSA system. Additionally, your FSA ID acts as an electronic signature on your FAFSA, and is unique to you.

You can create a FSA ID at the official Student Aid website.

If you are a dependent student, your parents are encouraged to also create an FSA ID.

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid can be found on the official Student Aid website, and should be completed as soon as possible after October 1st. CMN strongly encourages users to consider using IRS Data Retrieval when completing their FAFSA, as some students can use this option to link to and integrate data from the IRS and their tax returns directly into their application.

Enrolled Tribal members should contact their Higher Education departments to complete and submit their Indian Scholarship application, for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Grant.

Every tribe has their own set deadlines and required documents. Please check with your tribe for further questions.

Your Student Aid Report, or SAR, will arrive by paper or e-mail, anywhere from 3 days to two weeks, depending on whether or not an e-mail address is provided.

The Student Aid Report summarizes the information you've provided in your FAFSA, as well as indicating a student's Estimated Family Contribution, or EFC. This EFC is substracted from CMN's Cost of Attendance (COA), ultimately determining your "Financial Need."

If, after two weeks, you have not received your SAR, or if you'd like to check your FAFSA's current status, you can inquire at www.fafsa.ed.gov, or c all 1-800-433-3243.

Take your time to review the SAR when it does arrive, and make sure that all of your information is accurate and up to date. If any corrections are necessary, go to the official Student Aid website, signing in with the FSA ID you created in Step 1.

Select "Make Corrections to a Processed FAFSA," and re-submit the application once those updates have been made.

Approximately 72 hours after submission, CMN will receive your FAFSA. If we need any additional information, we will attempt to contact you via the e-mail provided in your application. If CMN needs additional tax documents - Verification forms, W2s, or official Tax Return Transcripts - we ask that you look into obtaining these via the official IRS website.

Students can track which forms have been received, and which are still needed, by investigating your status via your My Empower account.

If you are set to receive financial aid, you will be sent an e-mail with instructions on how to accept it online. Students are able to accept financial aid through their My Empower account.

Track which funds have been disbursed into your tuition account by accessing your My Empower account. Within the Financials Tab, the Billing Detail Summary will show all aid applied to your account, as well as pending financial aid, your current tuition balance, and any pending or processed refunds.