Filling Out The CASFA

The Colorado Application for State Financial Aid (CASFA) is an online application that allows students who are not eligible for federal student aid but meet the requirements for Colorado residency (also known as ASSET students) to receive financial aid from the state (meaning the money comes from the state government instead of the federal government). Some colleges and universities also use CASFA information to award financial aid. If you are undocumented, a DACADeferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. It is a policy that allows certain individuals who meet program requirements to request a grant of deferred action and be eligible for work authorization. DACA students should complete CASFA. student, have TPSTemporary Protected Status. A temporary immigration status that allows people from certain countries to live and work in the United States if is unsafe for them to return home. TPS students should complete CAFSA., or are waiting for an asylum application to be approved, you should complete the CASFA if you’re applying to any public colleges or universities in Colorado.  

The CASFA application process is similar to the FAFSA, but there are some key differences. Use this page to help you complete the CASFA application. 

The 2026-27 CASFA should be completed by students who are planning to enroll in college in the 2026-27 school year (between August 2026 and June 2027) who are undocumented, are waiting for an asylum application to be approved, have DACA or TPS, or are instructed by their college to complete CASFA.  

In limited circumstances, a student who is eligible for Federal Student Aid may choose to complete CASFA due to parental privacy concerns, but this means making an informed choice to give up any federal aid, like Pell grants. Click here for more information. 

Once you have decided whose information you will include on the CASFA (see Step 2: Determining Contributors to help decide whose information will be used), you can begin the CASFA. 

Information Needed

First, gather the information needed to complete the CASFA: 

• 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 
• Date of marriage for student and/or parent(s), if applicable 
• 2024 income information for yourself and your parents 
• Federal income tax returns for 2024 
  • 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 you are married. 
  • If you or your parents did not file taxes, you may be asked to submit a letter (called “verification of non-filing”) from the IRS.gov website or submit a signed statement explaining why you or your parents did not file. Here is how you can do that. 
• Additional records (if applicable) 
  • Value of businesses or investment farms) (Learn how to calculate that here) 
  • Net value of investment properties (not including your primary home) (Calculate here.) 
  • Net value of stocks, bonds, and other investments 

Next, you (the student) need to create a 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 college can match your CASFA application to your admissions application. 
• 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 after you graduate. 
• You will have to validate your account before accessing the application. Follow the directions provided in the verification email and on the website to complete this step.

Completing the Application

After you create your account, you can complete the CASFA application. The application contains the following sections: 

• Student Identity 
• Personal Information 
• Personal Circumstances 
• Family Information 
• Student Federal Benefits 
• Student Tax Information 
• Student Assets 
• School Selection 
• Invite Parent 
• Review
• Sign & Submit

If you are a dependent, you will be prompted to invite your parent to contribute to the form. If your parent is present, they may continue to complete the parent section without needing to access the form via an email invitation. If your parent is NOT present, you will type in their email address to send the invitation. 

Next Steps

Once you and your parent(s) have signed and submitted, you will be able to login and see your updated Status and Student Aid Index (SAI) on the dashboard.

Your Student Aid Index (SAI)A number calculated based on the financial information you provided on your FAFSA. Your SAI is calculated using the income, assets, and family size you reported on your FAFSA. The SAI is a number that ranges from -1500 to 999999. Lower numbers mean that you may be eligible for need-based aid. is a number calculated based on the financial information you provided on your CAFSA. It considers factors such as income, assets, and family size. If you are a Dependent student, it uses your parent(s)’s income and assets in the calculation, even if your parent doesn’t provide you with financial support or won’t be contributing to paying for your college expenses. 

The SAI is a number that ranges from -1500 to 999999. Lower numbers mean that you are eligible for more need-based aid. When you submit your CAFSA, colleges/universities will receive your SAI and decide how much money they can offer you to attend their school. This will be different for each school. It is important to remember that your SAI does not tell you how much money you will receive – it gives colleges an idea of your financial situation so they can decide how much money they can offer you. 

After your CAFSA has been processed, you will need to log into your student portalsAn online platform where students can access various academic and administrative services related to their education, such as financial aid, class registration, and more. You can usually find your portal login instructions in your acceptance email or a follow-up email from the college. You may also find it in the acceptance package mailed to the address you provided on the application.* for each college that you have been accepted to. Sometimes colleges need more information before they can offer you financial aid. If this is the case, you will be able to tell by checking your student portal and/or college email address. If they do request more information, it is important to submit the documents they asked for as soon as possible. It will likely take the schools a couple of weeks (at least) to process information. Once they have all the information they need, they will provide you a financial aid offerA document sent by a college to a student (via email or mail to the address listed on your FAFSA/CASFA) that shows the amounts and details of the financial aid being offered to the student, which may include scholarships, grants, loans, employment, or other forms of financial assistance to pay for college expenses. You may also see this referred to as a financial aid award or financial aid package..

It may be helpful to reach out to the financial aid offices of schools you want to attend. Students who were IndependentAn Independent student on FAFSA/CASFA is somebody who does not need to report their parent(s)’s information on the application. on CAFSA and students with unique circumstances (such as if there was a significant change in income since the 2024 taxes were filed), especially, should consider calling the financial aid office after submitting their CAFSA. However, any student who completed CASFA may benefit from reaching out to their school. You can find the contact information of the financial aid offices by searching the school name and “financial aid office.” 

*Tip: You can usually find your portal login instructions in your acceptance email or a follow-up email from the college. You may also find it in the acceptance package mailed to the address you provided. 

Qualifying for Colorado ASSET 

Students who complete the CASFA also need to complete 2 other forms to qualify for Colorado ASSET, pay in-state tuition rates, and receive as much financial assistance as possible. The 3 forms work together – completing the CASFA is only one step. 

1. COF Application and Affidavit 
2. Each College’s ASSET Application 

Visit our glossary of terms to learn more. 

Understanding your financial aid offer

A financial aid offer will generally include the Cost of AttendanceThe total amount of college expenses for the year, including tuition and fees, room and board (if living on campus) or food and housing (if living off campus), books and supplies, and other living expenses. The Cost of Attendance is the highest dollar amount of financial aid that a student can receive. Students can work with their college’s financial aid office to increase their Cost of Attendance if they have education-related needs that are not included, like a laptop.  as well as the amount and type of financial aid the college/university is offering you. Review this information to see how much it will cost you to go to the college. This tool is helpful in comparing how much each school will cost (make a copy of the document to be able to use it). 

Tips and Tricks

• It helps to apply for admission to the college/university BEFORE completing the CASFA.
• A check mark will appear next to each section once you complete the required questions in that section. 
• Parent invites sometimes end up in spam or junk folders. Make sure to check those folders if parents have not received the invitation.