FAFSA
The FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the US government form used to determine eligibility for federal financial aid — but it cannot be filed by international students.
Key Facts
- • Required for US citizens and eligible non-citizens; NOT available to international students.
- • Opens October 1 each year for the following academic year.
- • Used to calculate Student Aid Index (SAI), which determines federal aid eligibility.
- • Many US universities also use FAFSA data for their own institutional aid decisions.
- • International students file the CSS Profile instead — confirm this per school.
Why Korean families need to know about it
FAFSA is the form most US students file for financial aid. For Korean international students, the single most important fact about FAFSA is: you cannot file it. Period. International students are not eligible for US federal financial aid, so the form is not available to them.
This means every article, YouTube video, and US-targeted guide about "how to afford college" that tells you to file FAFSA is not relevant to your situation. You will submit the CSS Profile (and sometimes school-specific forms) instead.
The common Korean confusion
Korean families often ask their counselor or online forums "when should I file FAFSA?" — and the honest answer is "never." The correct question is "what financial aid form does this specific US school use for international applicants?"
That's usually CSS Profile, sometimes ISFAA (International Student Financial Aid Application), and occasionally school-specific forms. Never FAFSA.
The one exception: if the student is a US citizen or permanent resident living in Korea, FAFSA applies and the student files it normally. But for the vast majority of Korean international school students — holding Korean passports and F-1 visas — FAFSA is not the form.
Reviewed by Sprint Admissions Team · Updated April 2026
Related terms
CSS Profile
The CSS Profile is the financial aid application used by most selective private US universities to determine institutional need-based aid, including for international students.
Need-Blind Admission
Need-blind admission means the college makes its admit decision without considering whether the applicant will need financial aid — for domestic students, at many US universities, and for international students, at only six.
International Financial Aid
International financial aid is the institutional need-based and merit-based funding US universities provide to non-US-citizen applicants, which differs significantly from aid available to domestic students.