Steps to Follow

Filing for Financial Aid

Steps to Follow, Helpful Hints, and Important Information

Complete the Brookdale Admissions Application

Helpful Hint: Please ensure that you provide your Social Security Number (SSN) on your admissions application. Omitting or listing your SSN incorrectly will cause delays in your financial aid award.

Create a Federal Student AID ID (FSA ID) at StudentAid.gov

The student (and parent of a dependent student) mush each have their own FSA ID. You will each need your Social Security Number and your own mobile phone number or email address. Keep your Username and Password safe once they have been created.

Complete the 2026–2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)

The 2026–2027 FAFSA is available online on October 1, 2025.

• The 2026–2027 FAFSA is for the school year beginning September 2026.
• You should always list Brookdale as one of your schools on your FAFSA. Brookdale’s Federal School Code is 008404. Be prepared — you never know when your plans might change.
• If you plan to attend in the Summer 2026 term, you should file the 2025–2026 FAFSA, which is available through June 30, 2026.

NJ Grants & Scholarships

If you are a NJ resident and put a NJ college on your FAFSA, your FAFSA will be sent to our state agency, the NJ Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA). HESAA will contact you through the email that you use on your FAFSA and will direct you to your student portal on NJFAMS.

• NJ Grant deadlines have changed! The 2026–2027 new applicant deadline is September 15, 2026. The application deadline for students who received a Tuition Aid Grant (TAG) in 2025–2026 is April 15, 2026!
• NJ Dreamers (non-citizens are not eligible to complete the FAFSA) can complete the NJ Alternative Financial Aid Application to be considered for NJ state aid only. They must have attended a NJ high school for 3 years and graduated from a NJ high school. All students must sign an affidavit.

Brookdale offers FAFSA coaches who will help your file your FAFSA

Fill out our FAFSA assistance form, and someone will contact you to schedule an appointment!

Helpful Hints

• You must complete a new FAFSA every year!
• The FAFSA is easy to complete online! For questions, call 1-800-4-FED-AID (1-800-433-3243) for assistance.
• You are not finished filing your FAFSA until you receive confirmation that it was submitted.
• Save the Confirmation Page for your records.
• If you did not file a Federal Income Tax Return and are required to, according to IRS Pub 17, your financial aid file will be incomplete until you file your taxes and make a correction to your FAFSA.
• Fall bill are due in mid-July. Spring bills are due the first week in January. Winterim and Summer bills are due at the time of registration.
• Brookdale does not automatically award Federal Direct Student Loans. If you want a student loan, go to the Financial Aid page in Self-Service and navigate to Request New Loan — complete and submit.
• If you are a first-time borrower, you must also complete Entrance Loan Counseling and the Master Promissory Note at studentaid.gov.

Important Resources

Communications You May Receive

FAFSA Submission Summary (FSS)

You will receive the FSS by email. The FSS is the report of what was submitted on your FAFSA. It indicates whether or not you are eligible for a Federal Pell Grant and a Federal Direct Loan. It reports your Student Aid Index (SAI). The SAI determines your eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study.

Emails from NJ HESAA

Important emails will come to you from HESAA with notification of eligibility, requests for additional information, and how to access NJFAMS at the email you used on your FAFSA. You must access NJFAMS to check your status for TAG, EOF, or CCOG.

Important Email Notifications

You will receive emails from the Financial Aid Office to review your Checklist on WebAdvisor Self-Service, Financial Aid, for missing documents, and to check My Awards for your fill-time eligibility for grants, loans, and work-study.

Email us if you have any questions at faoffice@brookdalecc.edu.