Filing the FAFSA

To be considered for need-based financial aid (including grants, loans and work-study), you should file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The University of Dayton has a priority deadline of February 1 for first-year incoming students and April 1 for current undergraduate students. It is important that you file your FAFSA by the deadline to be considered for all sources of financial aid.

The state of Ohio uses the FAFSA to determine state aid eligibility. If you are not from Ohio, please check with your state’s agency for higher education to see if an additional application is needed to be considered for state aid.

Because gift aid is limited, the majority of a graduate or law student's financial aid eligibility comes in the form of federal student loans. If you wish to be considered for these loans, you must file the FAFSA. As an independent student, you will only need to submit your income and asset information, and that of your spouse if applicable.

We encourage graduate students to submit the FAFSA three months prior to the first term you plan to enroll for that academic year.

In order to file your FAFSA electronically, you'll need to create your Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID. This ID will be used to authenticate your identity for numerous federal financial aid processes.

We encourage you to complete the web-based version of the FAFSA, known as FAFSA on the Web (FOTW).

The University of Dayton's Title IV school code is 003127.

When filing your FAFSA On The Web (FOTW), for the 2023-2024 FAFSA and prior years, you will be encouraged to use the IRS DRT, which will allow the U.S. Department of Education to access your tax year data directly from the IRS, rather than having you provide the data. This will ensure the most accurate aid award for you and will satisfy any need for further tax information if selected for Federal Verification.

The SAR contains the information you reported on your FAFSA. If you file the FAFSA electronically, you will receive your SAR electronically. Be sure to review this and correct any errors you find.

All contributors will be asked to provide information on the FAFSA. Contributors may include:

• The student
• The student’s spouse (if applicable)
• A biological or adoptive parent; or
• Stepparent (if married to the parent reported on the FAFSA)

While completing the FAFSA for the 2024-2025 aid year and beyond, all contributors will be asked to provide consent. Consent on the FAFSA is a requirement in order to receive federal aid and will allow the opportunity for Federal Tax Information (FTI) to be transferred from the IRS to your FAFSA form. Consent is necessary for all contributors even if they did not file taxes, filed in another country or do not have an SSN. 

Based on the results of your FAFSA, we may need to collect additional information and/or documents from you to finalize your aid for the year. You will be notified via email, which will provide you with instructions on how to login to Porches to access your financial aid information. Many types of aid cannot be credited to your student account until satisfied so please respond to any request for information within 30 days to prevent unwanted finance charges or cancellation.