Element Description
(NOT A FIELD) IPEDS/CEDS definition. The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine a student's Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by conducting a “need analysis†based on financial information, such as income, assets and other household information, which the student (and parents for a dependent student) will be asked to provide. The form is submitted to, and processed by, a federal processor contracted by the U.S. Department of Education (ED), and the results are electronically transmitted to the financial aid offices of the schools that the student lists on the application.
