LSUA Financial Aid
LSUA Financial Aid assists students in accessing federal, state, and institutional funding while adhering to all regulations governing these resources. Many students rely on financial aid to cover the costs of enrollment, and our office works to process applications as quickly as possible.
Students can support this process by completing all required forms accurately, submitting them on time, and providing any requested documentation as needed.
FAFSA now available
2026-2027
This FAFSA is applicable at LSUA beginning Fall 2026 for all students. This FAFSA will use you and your 2024 tax year information. If you are planning on beginning at LSUA during the Spring 2026 or the Summer 2026 semester you will need to complete the 2025-2026 FAFSA. This FAFSA will use your 2023 tax year information and will only be available until 06/30/2026. If this is your first time applying for financial aid you will first need to create an FSA ID and Password at FSAID.ed.gov. Please note if you are a dependent student one of your parents must create a username and password as well. We highly recommend keeping an accessible copy of your log in information handy so it is not forgotten.
Anticipated Aid and Bookstore Credit Period
Spring 2026 (All sessions: Full, 1st, 2nd, Elearn 1, Elearn 2, ELearn 0)
November 17, 2025 - February 2, 2026
Spring 2026 Disbursement Dates
Full session / Elearn 0 / Elearn 1 / 1st session: February 11th
Spring only Student Loans 2nd disbursement: March 4th
First time Freshmen student loan borrowers: February 25th
Elearn 2 and 2nd session only students: March 4th
First time Freshmen student loan borrowers: April 8th
Types of Aid
Learn about free, earned, and borrowed money available to you.
Apply for Aid
Learn how to start the application process and access your new student checklist.
Veteran's & Military Education Benefits
Thank you for your service! Find out how to apply for your VA/US Military Tuition Assistance education benefits here.
Financial Aid Forms
Access and complete the required documents to ensure you're eligible for grants, loans, and other financial aid opportunities.
Satisfactory Academic Progress
Students must make satisfactory academic progress to receive federal financial aid (grants, loans, or federal work-study funds).
Student Budgets
View the estimated average costs of completing an academic year at LSUA.
Guides & Resources
Do your own FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Do not pay to complete a FAFSA. FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid; therefore, you are not required to pay anything to complete it. If you enter a website that claims you must make a payment to apply, then you are in the wrong website and need to get out immediately. Scams exist all over the internet and you do not want to risk your identity or your credit card number being stolen. The correct site to enter is www.studentaid.gov.
Keep your Federal Student Aid user ID (FSA ID) and password in a secure place. Do not reveal your FSA ID to ANYONE, even if that person is helping you fill out the FAFSA. The only time you are to use your FSA ID safely is on a secure U.S. Department of Education website.
Review the Student Aid Report (SAR) you receive after submitting your FAFSA, making sure all questions are answered and all answers are accurate. If there are unanswered questions or inaccurate answers, then your eligibility may be inaccurately calculated. You may make changes to your FAFSA by going back to www.studentaid.gov and select to make changes on your FAFSA.
While completing the FAFSA, you will be given the opportunity to import your tax information directly from the IRS; however, should you not be able to do so, you will need to use your federal taxes and other important tax documents in order to complete the FAFSA. Please be sure to keep copies of all paperwork used to complete your FAFSA in case you are prompted to submit that paperwork to the University’s Financial Aid Department. Make sure to include ALL of your W2s, 1099s, etc.
Check to see if you have been selected for Verification and review your SAR Report. Your SAR will tell you in the comments if you have been selected or not. You may also look at your Student Aid Index (SAI) located on your SAR; if the number has an asterisk (*) next to it, then you have been selected.
Leaving information blank. Leaving information unanswered, the US Department of Education makes assumptions and these assumptions may not be correct. If assumptions are made, then your aid eligibility may not be accurately calculated, so please be sure to answers all questions fully and honestly.
Misunderstanding the question. This mistake correlates with the first mistake. Typically, a question is left blank due to not fully understanding what the question is asking. If there are questions you are not sure about, then please do not hesitate to find out. You may call FAFSA at 1-800-4-FED-AID, contact your desired University’s Financial Aid Department, or consult the Q & A’s at www.studentaid.gov.
Choosing the incorrect grade level. A lot of students select that they are working towards a Graduate/Professional Degree and that they are a Graduate Student. If you have not earned a baccalaureate degree, then you are not a Graduate Student. Selecting that you are a graduate student will code you as ineligible for the Federal Pell Grant, should you otherwise qualify; therefore, you will never accurately be awarded. If you are still confused on what grade level you are at and what degree you are pursuing, please consult with the University and we will help you out.
Selecting the wrong Marital Status. Please be sure that this question is the most recent status. If you have married, then you are not eligible to select Single as your Marital Status. If a situation affects your Marital Status within the year, please do not change the Marital Status on your FAFSA- consult with your University’s Financial Aid Department first.
NOT Reading your SAR. This report DOES tell you what errors exist. These errors must be addressed before your FAFSA can be processed. It does NOT tell you how much Federal Aid you will be receiving. Only the schools you have listed will calculate your aid.
Assuming you are Independent. You are NOT Independent simply because you live on your own, file your own taxes, or receive no support from your parents. These are not legitimate situations to be considered Independent.
Not Submitting documents on time!! This is probably the most common mistake made. It can take up to six weeks for us to receive your FAFSA (especially if there are problems) and six to eight weeks for verification to be complete once all paperwork has been received. Help us help you, by doing our FAFSA and turning all requested documents as early as possible so aid can be available before classes begin.
