Back to FAFSA® Guide 2027-28

How to answer basic student information questions for the FAFSA®

The FAFSA® asks for basic student details, including your legal name, Social Security number or ITIN, permanent address, contact information, marital status, and college or career school grade level. Enter your name exactly as it appears on your Social Security card and report the grade level you’ll have during the award year.

Annoucement

Student identity and contact information

  • These questions may seem pretty obvious, but you still need to make sure to enter everything carefully.
  • If you plan to send the FAFSA® to multiple schools, your information will need to match up with their records so they can receive your FAFSA®.

Can I skip these questions?

No

How to answer these questions

  • Confirm that your name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and Social Security number are correct.

  • If anything is incorrect,  you can update your info on your studentaid.gov account settings.

1. Student Identity Information

The student's full name exactly as it appears on their Social Security card.

  • First name
  • Middle name
  • Last name
  • Suffix
  • Date of birth (MM / DD / YYYY)
  • Social Security number (SSN)
  • Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
    Enter the student's ITIN if they don't have an SSN.

2. Student Contact Information

  • Mobile phone number
  • Email address
  • Permanent mailing address
  • City
  • State
  • Zip code
  • Country

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Announcement

Student current marital status

Why do they need this info?

  • You’re asked about your marital status to see if you’ll need to provide info about your spouse for the FAFSA®.
  • Married students need to report their spouse’s income tax info, even if you file separate returns.
  • If you’re divorced or separated, or your spouse has died, you won’t need to provide any financial details except your own.

Can I skip these questions?

No

How to answer these questions

  • Select Single (never married), Married (not separated), Remarried, Separated, Divorced, or Widowed, whichever one applies to you.

Student Current Marital Status

  • Single (never married)
  • Married (not separated)
  • Remarried
  • Separated
  • Divorced
  • Widowed
Announcement

Student college or career school plans

Why do they need this info?

Your college grade level is the grade level for which you’re applying for federal financial aid.

Can I skip these questions?

No

How to answer these questions

  • Select the college grade level you’ll be in from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2028. For example, if you just completed your freshman year in full, you’d select “Second year (sophomore)”.
  • High school seniors or first-time college students would select “First year (Freshman)”.
  • If you took college courses or earned college credit during high school, you should still select “First Year”. This is because many schools offer aid specifically for first-year students, so any other answer may disqualify you. 
  • If you were accepted as an undergraduate to a program that guarantees you a spot in a professional program (e.g. J.D., M.D. PharmD), select “First Year”. You won’t be considered a professional student until you start taking 500+ level courses. 

What else should I know?

Your grade level doesn’t mean how many years you’ve attended school/college. It’s how much progress you’ve actually made toward your degree or certificate.

Student College or Career School Plans

When the student begins the 2025-26 school year, what will their college grade level be?

  • First year (freshman)
  • Second year (sophomore)
  • Other undergraduate (junior or senior)
  • College graduate, professional, or beyond (MBA, M.D., Ph.D., etc.)

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FAFSA® is a registered service mark of U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid.