 Federal financial aid may be an important part of funding your education at the University of Alabama. It all starts by applying and being admitted to UA. Next, complete the free application for federal student aid, or FAFSA, to be considered for grants, loans, and work study. The FAFSA opens on October 1st each year. You'll need your family's federal tax information to fill it out. If you use the IRS data retrieval tool, you can transfer financial information directly to the FAFSA from federal tax returns. December 1st is the priority date for UA to receive your FAFSA information. Some funds are limited, so it's important to apply early. To start, go to studentaid.gov and create a Federal Student Aid Identification, or FSAID, for both parent and student. Then, complete your application. Be sure to list UA's federal code 001-051, so we'll receive your results. When UA receives your FAFSA results, we'll contact you through your Crimson email address. We may need more information for you to supply as soon as possible. Once your application is reviewed and complete, you'll receive an award notification. You can accept your award through your MyBama portal. If you accept a federal loan, you'll complete the entrance counseling and promissory note. If you accept federal work study, you will receive more information about available jobs. Your federal funds will be applied to your student account. The scholarship process is separate, so be sure to check out your options there as well. Good luck and roll tide.