Applying for Financial Aid

Students whose biological parents are separated, divorced, or widowed should pay close attention to step four. Read the FAFSA instructions carefully for guidance on how to define your household. Keep in mind that you must report the income and assets of a step-parent on the FAFSA if he or she is currently married to your custodial parent, regardless of whether the step-parent will help pay your college costs. For additional clarification, contact Centre’s Financial Aid Office. 

Both the student and the parent need an FSA ID which consists of a user-created username and password to electronically access personal information on Federal Student Aid Web sites, including FAFSA on the Web. 

You may also use FAFSA on the web without a FSA ID. FAFSA on the Web transmits the information to the processor faster than regular mail. Please use a computer attached to a printer, as you will need to print a signature page when you are finished with the application unless you and your parent both have FSA IDs. Both student and parent signatures are required, and you must mail the signature page to the processor within 10 days of completing the FAFSA online. 

The state of Kentucky uses information provided on the FAFSA to determine state grant eligibility for Kentucky residents attending in-state colleges and universities. Legal residents of Kentucky should pay special attention to the following: 

Make sure you list Centre College in order to be eligible for the maximum state grant. Centre’s Federal School Code is 001961. 

You may file the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA online after October 1 at www.fafsa.ed.gov. 

To check on the status of your FAFSA after you have filed it, call 800-433-3243 or check online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. If Centre is listed as one of your school choices, we will receive your electronic SAR within 4 days. You will receive an email with instructions to review the data that you submitted. Be sure to print a copy for your files. 

If you have special circumstances that you would like to make us aware of, please contact the Financial Aid office. 

If you applied for aid last year, the government will make available a renewal FAFSA online. This form has many answers preprinted based on the previous year’s data, so it is quicker to complete than the FAFSA. Complete it online at www.fafsa.ed.gov, but please note that you will need an FSA ID. 

All returning students applying for aid must complete the Centre Aid Form each year. Students can submit a Centre Aid Form via Centrenet, visit our Centre Aid Form page. 

Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information. 

October – You will receive an e-mail reminder to complete the Centre Aid Form. The priority deadline for Kentucky residents is December 1. The priority deadline for non-Kentucky students is January 15. 

December 1 – Priority deadline to complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. Kentucky residents are especially encouraged to submit both the FAFSA and Centre Aid Form by December 1 to ensure consideration for state grants. 

January 15 – Priority deadline for non-Kentucky students to complete the FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. 

June – Aid awards emailed to returning students. 

You must reapply for need-based aid each year you attend Centre. Financial aid can change from year to year based on fluctuations in income, both positive and negative. Failure to provide the following application materials in a timely manner can result in a loss of financial aid. January 31st is Centre’s deadline to apply for financial aid. 

Centre Aid Form: Please fill out the Centre Aid Form completely and return to Centre’s Financial Aid Office. A copy of the form can be downloaded. 

Free Application For Federal Student Aid (FAFSA): The U.S. Department of Education will provide a Renewal FAFSA on the website www.fafsa.ed.gov. Please use this form to apply for financial aid. To check on the processing status of your FAFSA, call 800-4FEDAID (800-433-3243). 

Student Aid Report (SAR) Data: About five days after you submit the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA, the federal processor will send an SAR to your email address. If you listed Centre College as one of your choices on the FAFSA, Centre should receive the SAR data electronically. Your aid award cannot be processed until this data is received. 

Verification Worksheet: The U.S. Department of Education will randomly select a number of Centre’s aid applicants for verification. If you are selected for verification, a paragraph on the cover letter of your SAR will indicate this. Centre will mail a verification worksheet to those students who are selected. Students selected for verification must submit the verification worksheet and an IRS Tax Return Transcript OR use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool before their aid application can be processed. A copy of the Verification Worksheet can be found here: Downloadable Forms. 

Parent IRS Tax Return Transcript or IRS Data Retrieval: If you are selected for verification, an IRS Tax Return Transcript is required or the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can be used to download the tax information to your FAFSA. Click here for instructions. 

Student IRS Tax Return Transcript or IRS Data Retrieval: If you are selected for verification, an  

IRS Tax Return Transcript is required or the IRS Data Retrieval Tool can be used to download the tax information to your FAFSA. Click here for instructions. 

Special Condition Form: If you are experiencing unusual financial circumstances that you would like us to consider as we evaluate your aid application, please request a Special Condition Form from our office. We also require an IRS Tax Return Transcript and W-2s for you and your parents with the submission of the Special Condition Form. 

You can file the FAFSA or Renewal FAFSA online after October 1st at www.fafsa.ed.gov. 

Questions with arrows and the phrase “Enter New Data” require new answers. Review all other questions and correct if needed. Be sure to keep a copy for yourself. 

Work-study earnings should be included in your adjusted gross income when you file your income tax return. The question “student income earned from work” should also include work-study earnings. Please use Worksheet C as instructed. 

You must use data from your completed prior-prior year (PPY) income tax return. For example, for the 2019-20 academic year, use 2017 tax information on the FAFSA. For 2020-21, use 2018 tax data and so on. 

Student and parent signatures are required. A parent may electronically sign using a FSA ID or print a signature page to mail to the federal processor. 

The state of Kentucky uses information provided on the FAFSA to determine state grant eligibility for Kentucky residents attending in-state colleges and universities. Legal residents of Kentucky should pay special attention to the following questions: 

• Be sure to list Kentucky as your state of legal residence. If you enrolled at Centre as a Kentucky resident and your parents have subsequently moved out of state, you are still considered a Kentucky resident for Kentucky grant purposes as long as enrollment is not interrupted longer than a summer break. In such a case, you should report Kentucky as your state of legal residence. 

• Centre College does not offer graduate or professional degrees. Kentucky only awards grant funds to undergraduate students who are state residents. 

• Centre’s Federal School Code is 001961.