Every student should complete the FAFSA every year.
Information submitted on the FAFSA determines the amount of financial aid students are eligible to receive. Even if FAFSA results don't demonstrate financial need, every student qualifies for some sort of financial aid.
Some financial aid awards are made on a first-come, first-serve basis. Although students can apply for financial aid throughout the year, funding for some programs is limited and may be depleted.
To increase your chances of receiving grants and scholarships that do not have to be repaid, submit the FAFSA by the priority deadline of February 1.
The FAFSA becomes available October 1.
Filing the FAFSA is free and takes the average student less than 30 minutes. The form asks only the questions relevant to each applicant, and detailed instructions are included each step of the way.
The IRS Data Retrieval Tool can help you with fast, easy and accurate filing of your tax information.
If you are unable to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, you will need to request a tax return transcript (PDF).
Unmarried, dependent, undergraduate students younger than 24 must include parental financial information on the FAFSA.
When completing your FAFSA, make sure you are entering information for the portion of the program you will be in for the upcoming year.
School of Medicine 6-Year Program
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After you have filed the FAFSA, you may be asked to submit documents or other information to be used in the review of your application. Please check the to-do list in Pathway for any requested information and links to required documents. Respond to any request as soon as possible; review of your file may be delayed until all requested documents are submitted.
The majority of missing information is related to Verification, which is used to ensure the accuracy of information submitted on the FAFSA. Any student who completes a FAFSA can be selected for Verification by the U.S. Department of Education or our office.
The forms and documents required to complete verification vary, but you may have to learn how to order a tax return transcript (PDF).
Learn more about Verification (PDF)
Due to the volume of documents received, the process may take several weeks to complete. Incomplete documents or further clarification related to your file could also delay processing.
Verification must be completed before your financial aid funds can be disbursed to your UMKC account; therefore, it must be completed four weeks prior to the end of the semester to allow processing time for your financial aid.
If there are differences between your FAFSA and your financial documents, UMKC will correct any variances and resubmit your FAFSA and you will receive an updated Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Department of Education.
If you think you won’t qualify for financial aid, think again. Learn about the myths about financial aid.
