The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (known as the FAFSA) is a form that can be filled out annually by current and anticipating college students (both undergraduate and graduate) in the United States to determine their eligibility for federal student financial aid (including Pell grants, Stafford loans, PLUS loans, and work-study programs). The Department of Education begins accepting the application beginning Jan. 1 of each year. Applicants who have filled out a FAFSA in previous years are able to fill out a renewal FAFSA, but information on taxes and savings, for example, must be updated annually. In addition, most states and schools use information from the FAFSA to award non-federal aid.

http://www.fafsa.ed.gov