Whether you are planning to apply to Queens College or are already a QC student, you should apply for financial aid by completing the FAFSA every year.

Queens College priority deadline for filing your FAFSA application is March 1st, but don’t wait until then. By filing your FAFSA sooner, you will find out about your eligibility sooner, and get a clearer picture of your financial resources.

How to Apply

To be considered for any type of financial aid, you must first complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If you are a resident of New York State, you must also complete the Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) application.

Review the steps below to learn how to apply for financial aid:

Before Starting

Before starting the process, collect all necessary information. This includes you and your parents’ tax returns, W2 forms, records of untaxed income, asset information, date of birth, and social security numbers. Tax information can be estimated and corrected later if a tax return has not yet been completed.

Here’s a list of general information you might need to complete a FAFSA:

Social security numbers of student and parents (parents social security numbers are needed for dependent students)
W-2 forms and other records of money earned by student and parents, if you are a dependent student
Students and parents’ federal income tax returns (parents tax return is needed for dependent students and spouses tax return is needed for independent students)
Records of child support received
Current bank statements, current business and investment mortgage information, business and farm records, stock, bond and other investment records
Net worth of investments, businesses, and farms
Alien registration card, if you’re not a U.S. citizen

1. Obtain a FSA ID

Students, parents, and borrowers are required to use an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID enables you to confirm your identity when accessing your financial aid information and electronically signing your federal student aid documents.

With your FSA ID, you can “sign” your FAFSA electronically and complete the federal student aid process completely online. You can make corrections to your application once it is filed and access your information online. If you are under 24 years old, it is likely you and one of your parents will each need an FSA ID.

You can create an FSA account and your FSA ID on the Student Aid website. You will use the same FSA ID to reapply, and to access your student aid records each year.

2. Complete the FAFSA application

Start the process of applying for most types of federal financial aid by filling out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The Queens College FAFSA School Code is 002690.

Be sure to select and file the correct year’s FAFSA, entering the correct year’s income. Applications for 2024-2025 require 2022 income information; applications for 2025-2026 require 2023 income information. Answer all questions carefully, don’t guess at the answers, and don’t leave any blanks.

Use the CHAT and HELP features to clarify what you should enter where. For free help in completing your FAFSA, you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1800-4-FED-AID (1800-433-3243). For federal student financial aid information online you can go to www.studentaid.ed.gov. Any websites and services that charge a fee are not associated with the federal government.

When you finish entering your application data, don’t just SAVE your FAFSA. SUBMIT it. You will arrive at a confirmation page that will give you a confirmation number and an estimate of your federal aid eligibility. You should print a copy of this page for your records along with a copy of your application information.

Helpful tips:

Provide a Valid Email Address: If you provide a valid email address when you file your application, you will receive an email with a URL to access your application results. If you and your parents use an FSA ID to sign your FAFSA and there are no other problems with your application information, you may receive this email notification in as little as 24 to 72 hours.

If You Don’t Use Your FSA ID: If you or your parents do not sign your electronic FAFSA with your FSA ID, you must print and mail a signature page to the federal processor to confirm the validity of the information provided on your application.
We urge all applicants to use FSA IDs to sign the FAFSA instead of printing and mailing a signature page, which can lengthen the application processing time by several weeks.

3. Complete the TAP application

The TAP (Tuition Assistance Program) application is for New York State residents to apply for NY State financial aid. Once you complete your FAFSA online, you will be taken to a Confirmation Page. Click on the link to apply for New York State-based financial aid and you will be directed to the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) website in order to fill out your TAP application. The Queens College TAP School Code is 1416.

Note: If you did not indicate on the FAFSA that you meet the definition of New York State residency, this option will not be available to you.

If you miss the link when you file your FAFSA, you will receive an email from HESC after your FAFSA is processed, with information on how to complete your TAP application.

4. Review your FAFSA SUBMISSION SUMMARY (FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE STUDENT AID REPORT - SAR)

The FAFSA submission summary can tell you about your financial aid eligibility, potential schools, making corrections or changes to you FAFSA form, and next steps as you prepare to receive aid offer letters. When your FAFSA form is processed, you will be able to access your FAFSA submission summary within 1 – 3 business days. Only the student will be able to view their FAFSA submission summary on the dashboard of their studentaid.gov account. The contributors will not be able to access it.

5. Verification (Verify my FAFSa)

The U.S. Department of Education selects a certain number of applicants for a verification process. If you have been selected, tax filers will need to submit Tax Return Transcript(s) or a complete signed copy of a preparer’s Federal Income Tax Return (Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ) that was submitted to the IRS and other documents to your school’s financial aid office to verify the data you supplied on your FAFSA.

Being selected for verification does not necessarily mean that you made an error in filling out your FAFSA but in order to receive financial aid that you have been awarded, you will have to submit IRS Tax Return Transcript(s) and other documents requested by your school’s financial aid office.

To order a Tax Return Transcript, go to www.irs.gov, and click on Get Transcript of Your Tax Records and follow the steps or call the IRS at 1-800-908-9946.

Instead of ordering a Tax Transcript you can import your tax information into your FAFSA at www.fafsa.gov by using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

IRS Data Retrieval Tool

The IRS Data Retrieval Tool allows you and your parents to access the IRS tax return information needed to complete the FAFSA. Students and parents may transfer the data directly into their FAFSA. It’s available 1-2 weeks after you file your income tax return electronically. If you are eligible to use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, it is highly recommended that you use the tool for several reasons:

It’s the easiest way to provide your tax data
It’s the best way of ensuring that your FAFSA has accurate tax information
You may not be required to provide a copy of your or your parents’ tax returns to your college

Once your FAFSA & TAP applications are completed, and you have demonstrated financial need, you will receive your award letter through your Student Center, CUNYfirst account indicating the estimated financial aid programs for which you may qualify. If you are not eligible for need based financial aid, you can contact the Office of Financial Aid Services to find out other options to finance your education.

More About the FAFSA Application Process

Transfer Students

If you have already applied for financial aid for the current academic year, check both your FAFSA and TAP applications to make sure that you selected Queens College as a school of choice, so that we may process your aid information. Aid does not automatically transfer from school to school, and processes previously completed with one school, may need to be taken care of again with us.

The federal college code for the FAFSA: 002690

The college code for the TAP application: 1416

Note: If you don’t update your applications, you will not receive aid at Queens College and will be responsible to pay your balance.

Paper Applications

We and the federal government strongly discourage you from filing a paper FAFSA. Electronic filing is the fastest, easiest, and most accurate way for you to apply. This system helps ensure that your application is completed properly. However, you may apply for federal financial aid by completing and mailing a paper FAFSA. Download a current-year paper FAFSA here. Initial processing of a mailed paper FAFSA can take time; it may be four to six weeks before CUNY receives any information about you.

Make sure that Queens College [Federal school code 002690] is listed among your college choices in the Releases and Signatures portion of the FAFSA application. For free help in completing your FAFSA or to obtain a paper FAFSA you can call the Federal Student Aid Information Center at 1800-4-FED-AID (1800-433-3243).

There is no paper TAP application, therefore, a TAP application will still have to be completed on the web. After your paper FAFSA is processed, you will be sent an email or postcard with a link to a TAP on the web application. When you fill out the form, check to see that Queens College [TAP school code 1416] is listed as your college of choice.