The FAFSA is the primary application form used to apply for all federal student financial aid and some forms of state and institutional aid across the nation. This form is an online application.  

The FAFSA form becomes available to the public in January for the following academic year. In other words, a student who wants to apply for student financial assistance for the 2006-2007 school year, can pick up and submit a FAFSA in January of the year 2006. The earlier that the FAFSA is submitted the better for the student. The Orange Coast College Financial Aid Office can’t begin to assess a student’s financial eligibility for student federal aid until the Department of Education processes their FAFSA.

Priority processing deadline is March 2.

Once processed, the student will receive a Student Aid Report (SAR) from the federal government, which must be reviewed for accuracy. If the student has indicated OCC as one of the college’s the student is planning to or thinking about attending, the Financial Aid Office will also receive an electronic copy of the student’s record called and ISIR. Once OCC receives an ISIR for a student from the Department of Education, we will send a notification to the student's OCC email address. This email will indicate which steps must be taken by the student to move their application through the review process and to receive student financial aid if they qualify. Students who follow these steps and complete their financial aid files before March 2, will be given priority for review and processing.  

Students must complete a new FAFSA each year if he or she desires to continue to be considered for student financial aid.