Texas Application for State Financial Aid

Is the FAFSA or TASFA right for me? Start the Online TASFA Start the Paper TASFA Is there a deadline to complete the TASFA? Questions and Information Contact Us

Is the FAFSA or TASFA right for me?

Each Texas high school student is required as a condition of graduation to complete either the FAFSA or TASFA or opt out, as required by Texas Education Code Section 28.0256. All students interested in applying for financial aid are encouraged to first review the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Filling out the FAFSA allows a student to be considered for a broader range of financial aid options than filling out the Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA). The FAFSA allows a student to be considered for federal, state, and institutional financial aid opportunities. If a student completes the FAFSA, the student should not complete a TASFA.

Students who do not complete a FAFSA may complete a TASFA to be considered for state financial aid programs. Remember that failing to fill out a FAFSA means that the student will not be considered for any federal financial aid programs.

State financial aid programs require that a student is a Texas resident.

Before you begin completing a TASFA, you are encouraged to contact the institution you plan to attend to verify that the TASFA is the most appropriate financial aid application form for you.

Start the Online TASFA

The 2025-26 Online TASFA is available, along with the paper versions in English and Spanish.

Start the Online TASFAhyperlink to fast program page

Start the Paper TASFA

The process for receiving a paper copy of the TASFA varies by institution. Some require it to be mailed directly to the Financial Aid Office and others may prefer that you upload or email a copy through a secure platform. Before submitting or mailing your application, contact your institution’s financial aid office to clarify the procedure. 

Download the form you need below and follow the instructions.

English Version

Versión en Español

Is there a deadline to complete the TASFA?

Deadlines vary by institution. We recommend you contact the college you plan to attend to confirm final deadlines. Students should apply as soon as possible to maximize their state financial aid options since funding is limited.

Many institutions use the state priority deadline of January 15 for the upcoming award year. The priority deadline is not a hard deadline so applicants can still submit a TASFA after this date. Applications that are submitted before the deadline will receive priority consideration for available funding.

ALERT: The State Priority Deadline was extended to February 15, 2025, for the 2025-2026 application year by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It is important to complete and submit your application with all required documentation to the financial aid office on or before this date to be considered for the most financial aid possible. Please note that this is only for the specified application year and will revert to January 15 for future years.

For questions, please contact the college you plan to attend for the 2025-26 school year so they can provide guidance on the application process.

Institutions may define how their students must meet the priority deadline and are encouraged to adopt a policy describing the actions they must take to meet the priority deadline. The priority deadline is a mechanism that is used to evaluate similarly situated students to prioritize limited funding and to encourage students to complete their applications timely to increase the likelihood of receiving state funding. Applying before the priority deadline does not guarantee the student will receive funding.

Questions and Information

General

The Texas Application for State Financial Aid (TASFA) is a form that students may use to provide certain financial aid application information to institutions. It should not be completed by students who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The Online TASFA is not available in Spanish. You can refer to the paper TASFA en español to help complete the Online TASFA in English. Otherwise, you can complete the Spanish paper application and you must send it directly to the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend.

No. Filling out the TASFA after filling out the FAFSA will not make you eligible for additional financial assistance. If you are looking for more financial aid options, please contact the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend. 

No. It is free to complete the TASFA, and you should never be charged a fee to apply for financial aid. Be careful giving out your personal information or paying someone that promises to help you get financial aid.

The TASFA typically becomes available each year (for the following school year) on October 1, in alignment with the FAFSA.

The TASFA requires students to provide certain demographic, household, and financial information. If you are married, you will also need to provide your spouse’s information. If you are considered a “dependent” student for financial aid purposes, you will be required to provide applicable parent information to submit your TASFA.

It’s recommended that you have the following items available when filling out the TASFA:

  • Student W-2s
    • Spouse or parent W-2s, if applicable
  • Student tax transcripts
    • Spouse or parent tax transcripts, if applicable
  • Student’s college ID (optional)

Always follow up with the institution you plan to attend to find out if additional documentation is needed to determine your eligibility for financial aid.

It depends. The January 15 deadline is used by many institutions to prioritize their limited funding, but you may still be eligible to receive financial aid even after the priority deadline has passed. Make sure you submit the TASFA along with all required documentation to the financial aid office at the institution you plan to attend before the state priority deadline to maximize your funding opportunities.

ALERT: The State Priority Deadline was extended to February 15, 2025 for the 2025-2026 application year by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. It is important to complete and submit your application with all required documentation to the financial aid office on or before this date to be considered for the most financial aid possible. Please note that this is only for the specified application year and will revert to January 15 for future years.

For questions, please contact the college you plan to attend for the 2025-2026 school year so they can provide guidance on the application process

Participating institutions include public and private non-profit colleges and universities in Texas, excluding trade schools, which can be found on the My Texas Future website.

Trade schools (for-profit/proprietary schools) do not qualify for state financial aid, so you do not need to complete the TASFA. Schools listed under trade schools on My Texas Future do not participate in state financial aid and do not accept the TASFA.

If you do not have a Social Security number, you will not be able to register with the Selective Service online, but you can register at your local post office. Find out more details at sss.gov and talk to the institution you plan to attend.

Talk to your high school to find out what proof will count toward the financial aid application completion requirement for graduation. You can also reach out to the college you plan to attend to obtain proof that you submitted your application.

The TASFA can be completed online. Do not fill out both an online and paper TASFA – only one is necessary.

Online TASFAhyperlink to fast program page

For help with specific application questions or to check the TASFA submission process, please contact the financial aid office at the college you plan to attend.

Online TASFA

Select “Forgot your password?” and a code will be emailed to you to create a new password. If you still cannot access your account, please submit an online inquiry through Contact Us and select “Financial Aid Question” for the contact reason.

No. While you can always print or save a copy for your records, you do not have to mail a paper copy anywhere if you submitted your TASFA online. The colleges or universities you selected on the online application will receive your information electronically within 24 hours of submission.

If it’s determined that you need parental information (based on your answers), you will need to enter your parents’ information on their behalf. A parent will be required to review and acknowledge the information entered on the TASFA before you can submit your application.

During the application process, a secure link to access your TASFA will be sent to your parents’ email address that you enter in the Parent section. Only one parent is required to review and acknowledge the information entered on the TASFA.

Your parent will need a valid email address that is different than yours to review and acknowledge the information entered on the TASFA. If your parent doesn’t have an email account, you may help your parent set up their own email account or decide as a family to fill out a paper copy of the TASFA. You can find the paper application in English and Spanish above.

A paper copy of the TASFA is available above that you can fill out and print if you cannot complete it online. Once it’s complete, sign and mail a copy of your paper TASFA to each financial aid office at the college or university you’re applying to. Do not send your TASFA to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.

If you have submitted your TASFA online, you can follow up with the colleges or universities you selected to find out if they need additional information or documentation. You can always log back in to your TASFA and go to the Applications page to view the colleges you selected and date your application was sent.

It is important to note that the Online TASFA is available to use after priority deadlines and institutional deadlines pass. For each academic year, the Online TASFA is typically available to use October 1 of the year before the student would attend college all the way to the last potential semester of the academic year.

  • For the 2025-26 application year, you can complete the application between Dec. 2, 2024, and 11:59 p.m. Central time (CT) on June 30, 2026.
  • Set up your TASFA account – Create your Online TASFA account through the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s secure portal.
  • Check your email – Important updates on your progress and your application ID will be sent via email.
  • Log in to your account – Begin your application.
  • Complete each section on your application:
    • Student
    • Dependency
    • Parent (if applicable)
    • Family Info
    • College
    • Submit
  • Submit your application – Select up to 10 colleges for each submission. You can return and add 10 more, as needed.
  • Check Applications page – You can check which colleges you have sent your TASFA to and the date submitted.

Paper TASFA

Before submitting or mailing your application, contact your institution’s financial aid office to clarify the procedure. Each institution may have a different process for processing paper TASFAs. Some institutions may prefer that a paper TASFA is mailed directly to the financial aid office; and other institutions may prefer that you upload or email a copy through a secure platform. For any questions on the submission process or to confirm your TASFA has been received, contact the financial aid office of the institution you plan to attend directly.

For any questions on the submission process or to confirm your TASFA has been received, contact your institution’s financial aid office directly. Your institution will review the information on your TASFA to assess your financial need and your eligibility for state financial aid.

Once you fill out the paper TASFA, you will have to send or upload a copy to each college you are interested in attending or currently attend. Before submitting or mailing your application, contact your institution’s financial aid office to clarify the procedure. Once confirmed, print multiple copies and complete the following:

  • Fill out the College section on the paper TASFA, based on where you plan to live, specific to each college (with parent, on-campus, off-campus).
  • If you’re a current college student, include your college ID if you’ve been provided one. This number helps the financial aid office match your TASFA with your college enrollment record.
  • Wet sign each paper copy separately.
  • Mail or upload the copy to each institution’s financial aid office.
  • Check with each institution to see if they need any follow-up documentation.

Do not mail your paper copy TASFAs to the THECB. Send your paper TASFA directly to the institution you plan to attend, and they will review the information to determine your eligibility for financial aid options available at that location.

First, ask your high school what type of proof is acceptable to meet the requirement for graduation. Next, call the institution you plan to attend and ask for the proof in the format that your high school will accept.

Contact

To report a problem with the Online TASFA or issues with our website, please contact us and select “Financial Aid Question” as the contact reason. You can also call (888) 311-8881, Monday–Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (closed 12:00-1:00 p.m.).

Contact Ushyperlink to fast program page