CASFA CHANGES ARE HERE!
Updated Jan. 3, 2024
Financial aid applications FAFSA and CASFA are changing big time for the 2024-25 academic year. The 2024-25 CASFA application is now open. Information for both 2023-24 and 2024-25 is included below.
Remember to pay close attention to the academic year you’re completing CASFA for.
- If you want to apply for financial aid for the current academic year (the Spring 2024 or Summer 2024 terms), select the 2023-24 application.
- If you want to apply for financial aid for the next academic year (between August 2024 – June 2025), select the 2024-25 application.
The Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) is an online application that the Colorado Department of Higher Education provides so that Colorado public colleges can award financial aid, including state grants and work-study, to students who are not eligible for federal student aid but meet the requirements for Colorado residency (also known as ASSET students). If you are a DACA, TPS, or undocumented student, your college may require you to complete the CASFA.
The CASFA for the next school year typically becomes available on October 1, but for the upcoming 2024-25 school year it opened in late December 2023.
Apply as early as you can! If your college asks you to complete it, you should do so as soon as you can and no later than your college’s priority deadline for financial aid to be considered for the most possible aid. If you can’t find your college’s priority deadline, call your college’s financial aid office or visit their website. Some scholarships may have a deadline for completing your CASFA, so plan ahead.
Note: If you are a U.S. citizen or Legal Permanent Resident (have a green card), do not submit CASFA. You must complete the FAFSA to apply for financial aid.
International students who are studying in the U.S. on a student visa are not eligible for Colorado state financial aid programs but may complete the CASFA to determine eligibility for institutional aid (aid offered by a college or university).
Select the academic year you’re applying for:
Spring 2024 & Summer 2024 only
2024-25 CASFA Information
The 2024-25 CASFA should be completed by students who is planning to enroll in college in the 2024-25 school year (between August 2024 – June 2025) who are undocumented, have DACA or TPS, or are instructed by their college to complete CASFA.
Gather the information needed to complete the CASFA for 2024-25:
- Date of birth for student and parent(s)
- Personal email address for student and parent(s).
- Before getting started, you can create an email account for your parent if they don’t have one.
- Social Security Number, ITIN, or DACA number, if applicable (not required)
- If a student doesn’t have an SSN/ITIN/DACA number, please leave the question blank.
- If the parent doesn’t have an SSN/ITIN/DACA number, please enter all zeroes.
- Date of Marriage for student and/or parent(s), if applicable.
- 2022 income information for yourself and your parents (if available)
- Federal income tax returns for 2022
- If you’re a dependent student, you need tax return information for yourself (if you filed taxes) and your parents (if they filed taxes).
- If you’re an independent student, you need tax return information for yourself and your spouse, if married.
- If you or your parents did not file taxes, you may be asked to submit a letter of non-filing from the IRS.gov website or submit a signed statement explaining why you or your parents did not file.
- Additional records (if applicable)
- Value of businesses or investment farms
- Net value of investment properties (not including your primary home)
- Net value of stocks, bonds, and other investments
Create your CASFA Account
Visit the CASFA Student Portal now >
- Be sure to use your full legal name to create your CASFA account and to complete your college admissions applications so that the matching process will go more smoothly.
- Use a personal email (like Gmail), not your high school or college email, to create your CASFA account to make sure you continue to have access to your account.
Complete the CASFA application
If you’re applying for the first time, get help from your DSF College Advisor, high school counselor, or college financial aid office.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a DSF College Advisor, DSF Campus Advisor, counselor, or the financial aid office! Check out these resources as well:
- Colorado Department of Higher Education CASFA Resources for Students & Families
- CASFA FAQs (scroll down to the FAQ section)
PARENT SIGNATURE INVITATION
Students must include their parent’s full name, date of birth, email, and Social Security Number/ITIN/DACA Number if applicable in the “Parent Information” section of their CASFA.
When the student submits the CASFA, the parent will receive an email invitation to electronically sign the student’s CASFA. The link to sign the CASFA expires after 72 hours, so if the parent doesn’t use it in that time, the student will need to login to the CASFA and resend the invitation.
IMPORTANT
When the parent creates their CASFA account, the information they enter must match exactly the information that the student entered in the “Parent Information” section of the CASFA (full name, date of birth, email, and SSN/ITIN/DACA number). If the information doesn’t match, the parent will not be able to create an account.
VIEW YOUR STUDENT AID INDEX
Once your CASFA is complete, you will be able to view your Student Aid Index (SAI, previously called EFC) by selecting “Review and Update” in the CASFA portal and downloading the PDF of your completed CASFA. Your SAI is visible at the bottom of the application, just before the signature section.
MAKE UPDATES IF NEEDED
To review the information you provided on the CASFA, login to your account and select “Review and Update” for the appropriate aid year (2024-25).
Click on the down arrow to download the PDF of your completed application and review it.
- Select “Start, Edit, or Complete a Form”, then select “Edit” if you need to make any changes. To add additional colleges, locate the “School List” section in the left column and make updates.
- Both the student and parent will need to complete the electronic signature process again if any changes are made, including adding colleges.
CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
Check with the financial aid office at each college you listed on your CASFA about two weeks after you submit to make sure they got your information and to see if they need any additional information.
You're off to a great start!
However, there is more you must complete before you can receive financial aid! Use this worksheet or click here to learn more about next steps after submitting your CASFA.
2023-24 CASFA Information
The 2023-24 CASFA should be completed by students who is planning to enroll in college in the current school year (Spring 2024 or Summer 2024 terms) who are undocumented, have DACA or TPS, or are instructed by their college to complete CASFA.
If you already started college this year but you haven’t completed the CASFA yet, it’s not too late to apply and receive financial aid if you qualify.
Here’s how to apply:
Gather the information needed to complete the CASFA for 2023-24:
- 2021 income information for yourself and your parents (if available)
- Federal income tax returns for 2021
- If you’re a dependent student, you need tax return information for yourself (if you filed taxes) and your parents (if they filed taxes).
- If you’re an independent student, you need tax return information for yourself and your spouse, if married.
- If you or your parents did not file taxes, you may be asked to submit a letter of non-filing from the IRS.gov website or submit a signed statement explaining why you or your parents did not file.
Create your CASFA Account
Complete the CASFA application
If you’re applying for the first time, get help from your DSF College Advisor, high school counselor, or college financial aid office.
PARENT SIGNATURE INVITATION
Students must include their parent’s full name, date of birth, email, and Social Security Number/ITIN/DACA Number if applicable in the “Parent Information” section of their CASFA.
When the student submits the CASFA, the parent will receive an email invitation to electronically sign the student’s CASFA. The link to sign the CASFA expires after 72 hours, so if the parent doesn’t use it in that time, the student will need to login to the CASFA and resend the invitation.
IMPORTANT
When the parent creates their CASFA account, the information they enter must match exactly the information that the student entered in the “Parent Information” section of the CASFA (full name, date of birth, email, and SSN/ITIN/DACA number). If the information doesn’t match, the parent will not be able to create an account.
VIEW YOUR EXPECTED FAMILY CONTRIBUTION (EFC)
Once your CASFA is complete, you will be able to view your EFC by selecting “Review and Update” in the CASFA portal and downloading the PDF of your completed CASFA. Your EFC is visible at the bottom of the application, just before the signature section.
MAKE UPDATES IF NEEDED
To review the information you provided on the CASFA, login to your account and select “Review and Update” for the appropriate aid year (2023-24).
Click on the down arrow to download the PDF of your completed application and review it.
- Select “Start, Edit, or Complete a Form”, then select “Edit” if you need to make any changes. To add additional colleges, locate the “School List” section in the left column and make updates.
- Both the student and parent will need to complete the electronic signature process again if any changes are made, including adding colleges.
CHECK WITH THE FINANCIAL AID OFFICE
Check with the financial aid office at each college you listed on your CASFA about two weeks after you submit to make sure they got your information and to see if they need any additional information.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help from a DSF College Advisor, DSF Campus Advisor, counselor, or the financial aid office! Check out these resources as well:
- Colorado Department of Higher Education CASFA Resources for Students & Families
- CASFA FAQs (scroll down to the FAQ section)
You’re off to a great start
Use this worksheet or scroll down to learn more about next steps after submitting your CASFA.
Next Steps After CASFA
After submitting your CASFA, there are important steps you must follow to receive your financial aid award. Don’t wait – taking care of these items right away is extremely important so that you receive your financial aid before classes start.
Set up your college email
Set up your student email account(s) at each college included on your CASFA. Check your email frequently!
Your college may have a portal where you can see important messages from the college, check on the status of your financial aid, see a To Do List, and more. Check the Financial Aid tab to see if you need to provide any documents or forms to Financial Aid.
REVIEW YOUR CASFA PDF
Once you submit your CASFA, you will be able to download a PDF of your completed application (you can also log in later to download it). Review it carefully to make sure all the information you added is correct.
IF NEEDED, CHANGE OR CORRECT YOUR CASFA INFORMATION
To review the information you provided on the CASFA, login to your account and select “Review and Update” for the appropriate aid year.
Click on the down arrow to download the PDF of your completed application and review it.
- Select “Start, Edit, or Complete a Form”, then select “Edit” if you need to make any changes. To add additional colleges, locate the “School List” section in the left column and make updates.
- Both the student and parent will need to complete the electronic signature process again if any changes are made, including adding colleges.
CHECK YOUR COLLEGE EMAIL FREQUENTLY
The Office of Financial Aid (OFA) at each college included on your CASFA will review your information and determine if any additional documentation is required to verify the information on your CASFA. This is sometimes called “verification.”
If additional information is needed, you must provide it before the Financial Aid Office can determine your eligibility for need-based financial aid. If additional information is required, the Financial Aid Office will notify you by email and/or messages in your college portal.
These are examples of items you MAY be required to submit for verification – Don’t send any of these things unless the financial aid office has asked you to!
- Proof of identity with either a Driver’s License or State issued ID
- Proof of date of graduation, via a High School Transcript
- Proof of child support paid
- Proof of income and tax information
Follow Up Quickly
If the Financial Aid Office requests additional information, follow the instructions in the email or portal right away. Be sure to make copies of everything before you submit information to Financial Aid.
If you’re having trouble getting any of the documents or you’re not sure what to do, ask for help! The process is confusing and there are many people who want to help. You can ask the Financial Aid Office, your DSF College or Campus Advisor, or your high school counselor.
If you applied for the DSF Scholarship and are having trouble with verification, let the DSF Scholarship team know right away so we can help you meet the scholarship requirement of completing your financial aid requirements by July 15.
CALL OR VISIT THE OFFICE OF FINANCIAL AID
Call or visit the Office of Financial Aid if needed – they are there to help. We strongly encourage you to contact Financial Aid by phone, email, or in person to make sure they received your CASFA information and if you have any questions about follow-up documents they’ve requested.
REVIEW AND ACCEPT AWARDS
Once Financial Aid has received and processed all of your information, review your notice of offered financial aid awards carefully and follow the instructions to accept your awards. Ask your DSF College Advisor or high school counselor to help you compare award letters from different colleges so you understand how much you will pay at each college.
