Financial Aid Process

Apply for admission to Governors State University if you are not already an admitted student. We cannot process your financial aid application until you are officially admitted to the university and in a financial aid eligible program. Please submit your application as soon as possible.

 In order to process your FAFSA, your social security number needs to be added to your student account. Please contact the Office of Admissions at admission@govst.edu for the steps to edit your personal information. 

The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, is the first step to be considered for any type of federal or state aid and most institutional aid (including scholarships). The FAFSA is available on October 1 each year. 

Important tips:

• Governors State University school code is 009145. In order to have your FAFSA data sent to Governors State University, this code must be included on the FAFSA.
• File the FAFSA each year you plan to attend.
• Your social Security Number must be on your application for admission in order for it to link to your FAFSA. If you already applied and did not include your SSN, contact Admission Processing at apotranscripts@govst.edu or contact the main office at 708.534.4490.
• You do not have to be admitted to the university to submit the FAFSA.

Are you new to the FAFSA? Find links to informational websites.

Collect these items before filling out the FAFSA

1. Your FSA ID username and password. Students, parents and borrowers are required to create an FSA ID, made up of a username and password, to access certain U.S. Department of Education websites. Your FSA ID is used to confirm your identity when accessing financial aid information and electronically signing federal student aid documents. Learn how to create an FSA ID.
2. Your tax information. Dependent students will also need their parents' tax information.
• If you have filed taxes, use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool option to transfer IRS data directly into your FAFSA. The tool will ask you to log in by providing your name and other information exactly as you provided it on your tax return.
• If you (or your parents) are married and filed taxes separately, or you filed a foreign return, you cannot use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.

Get details about the IRS Data Retrieval Tool, and visit Frequently Asked Questions.

Please note: If you are an Illinois resident but are ineligible for federal aid as an undocumented student, you can still apply for state assistance. The Retention of Illinois Students & Equity (RISE) Act became law in January 2020. Find out whether you should complete the  Alternative Application for Illinois Financial Aid instead of the FAFSA.

After you submit your FAFSA, the U.S. Department of Education will send you a Student Aid Report (SAR), which is a summary of the FAFSA data you submitted and includes your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Governors State University uses the SAR to calculate the aid it can offer you. 

• Make sure your SAR is correct and complete.
• Follow these instructions if you need to make changes or corrections to your SAR.
• If you have a unique situation, please contact The Office of Financial Aid at faid@govst.edu or at 708.534.4480

Financial aid notifications for newly admitted students are available to view online in late March.  Check your university email account for your aid notification email and follow the instructions to review your package.

If there have been significant changes in your family's financial situation since the tax year used on the FAFSA. Governors State may be able to re-evaluate your Expected Family Contribution. Complete the Special Circumstance Form. 

Verification is a process in which Governors State confirms the accuracy of information provided on the FAFSA. Verification is a federally mandated program to ensure accuracy in the administration of federal financial aid. 

• If you are selected for verification, Governors State will notify you via your university email address. 
• Submit the requested items promptly. 
• If you are required to provide your taxes, you can update your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval tool (see step 2 above for more information). If you are unable to use the Data Retrieval Tool, you must provide a signed copy of your IRS Tax Return Transcript. For more information on requesting an IRS Transcript visit IRS Get Transcripts. 

How verification works

• Requested items needed for verification will be listed in the Checklist task in myGSU under financial aid. 
• Once verification is complete, your Checklist will be updated.
• Governors State will calculate your financial aid package based on the results that were determined through the verification process. 
• Failure to complete the verification process prior to the close of the academic year can result in the cancelation and/or return of financial aid funding.