Filing your FAFSA
The form used to apply for federal student financial aid is called the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA, and is available from FAFSA's website beginning in early December. For the 2025-2026 academic year, you will be using your 2023 income and asset information to complete it. You should also include IU's school code (001809) on your FAFSA so that we have access to your data.
IRS data retrieval option
When filing the FAFSA, you should use the IRS data retrieval tool. Importing your IRS data directly into the FAFSA will streamline and expedite the processing of your financial aid application and could help you avoid having to submit additional documentation to the financial aid office later in the academic year. For additional help in completing the FAFSA, please go to FAFSA's help page, or call (800) 4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243).
Other Tips
Please be sure to answer all questions on the FAFSA. Recently, we have found that some applicants are overlooking questions such as those pertaining to high school completion and tax returns. In addition, applicants often misreport the amount of taxable scholarship that they have received. In most cases, you wouldn't report the total scholarship you receive on the FAFSA. Applicants who fail to complete all questions or who accidentally misreport figures might be required to supply additional documentation to Student Central for verification. Being selected for verification could cause a delay in receiving your aid.
Filing priority date: April 15
But you can file the FAFSA early than that. Filing early helps you avoid the rush that occurs closer to the priority deadline, and ensures that the money will be available when you need it to pay for your education. You may also file after April 15th to receive Federal Direct loans.
Notification of your financial aid
Confirmed, first-year law students who have completed the FAFSA & the IU Graduate CAS Application, should be packaged with federal financial aid beginning in March.
We will send confirmed first-year students a tentative financial aid notification if aid processing gets delayed. Official notifications will be sent to all students on the timeline mentioned above. The notification will list your financial aid awards and the steps that you need to take to get your aid set up for the upcoming academic year. Please note, we do not automatically package students with Direct Graduate PLUS Loans, but we will provide you with instructions on how to submit that application.
How you receive your money
All student financial assistance, including scholarships and fellowships, is credited to your student account through the IU Office of the Bursar. All charges incurred through the university are covered first, and then a refund for any excess funds is released to you by the start of each semester or session. To expedite this process, you should set up direct deposit, a free service that deposits your financial aid refund directly into the bank account of your choice.