The process for determining federal student aid eligibility is separate from the process of applying for admission to college. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the basic application that is used to apply for federal student aid.
Sometimes students assume they won't qualify for financial aid or sometimes they just don't want to complete the FAFSA because it seems complex or difficult. But you should always apply because you may be surprised by the amount of aid for which you qualify.
Students who wish to apply online should go to: www.fafsa.ed.gov. If you wish to apply using a paper FAFSA instead, you can call 800-4FED-AID and request the paper form or you can print out a PDF FAFSA by going to www.FederalStudentAid.ed.gov.