What Is the FAFSA?

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a form used to apply for financial aid for medical school. Once completed, the U.S. Department of Education will provide your information to the schools you list.

UGA cannot provide information about your financial eligibility or status until your FAFSA has been received. Use school code 001598 to send your FAFSA to UGA. The FAFSA should be filed annually.

The 2026-2027 FAFSA is available for applications as of October 1, 2025. Apply now at https://studentaid.gov/.

Why Medical Students Should Complete the FAFSA

Completing the FAFSA is required for:

  • Federal Graduate Unsubsidized Loans
  • Consideration for UGA School of Medicine admissions scholarships
  • Eligibility for other institutional scholarships and aid

For the 2026-2027 FAFSA, use tax data from 2024.

FASFA Status for Medical Students

All medical students are classified as Independent for FAFSA purposes. This means:

  • The FAFSA will not require you to report your parental income data.
  • You are only eligible to apply for graduate-level aid (medical students are not eligible for Pell Grant, Federal Subsidized Loans, FSEOG, or state aid such as the HOPE or Zell Miller Scholarships).
Key FAFSA Questions and Responses

Question: When the student begins the 2026-2027 school year, what will their college grade level be?

Response: Master’s, doctorate, or graduate certificate program (MA, MBA, JD, PhD, EdD, etc.)

 

Question: When the student begins the 2026-2027 school year, will they already have their first bachelor’s degree?

Response: Yes

Marital Status Scenarios

Married and filed jointly: If you were married in 2024, filed a joint tax return, and are still married when you fill out the FAFSA, you can report your combined tax information directly. Your spouse is not considered a separate contributor and does not require an invitation.

Married and filed separately: If you were married in 2024 but filed separate tax returns and are still married, your spouse will be considered a “contributor” on your FAFSA. The FAFSA will require you to send them an initiation to contribute their information separately.

Married since filing as single in 2024: If you were single in tax year 2024 but are married when completing the FAFSA, you will report your 2024 tax information and invite your spouse to provide their 2024 tax information as a contributor on the FAFSA.

Divorced, separated, or widowed since filing jointly in 2024: If you filed a joint tax return in tax year 2024 but are now divorced, separated, or widowed, indicate this in your FAFSA. You should only report your own income, excluding your former spouse’s information. Manual entry of this data may be required.

Married after submitting the 2026-2027 FAFSA: If your marital status changes after submitting your 2026-2027 FAFSA for the current academic year, please contact the School of Medicine Office of Financial Aid. On a case-by-case basis, a student may submit a professional judgment request to update their FAFSA data to reflect their current financial situation.

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