There are plenty of single mothers who are thinking of going back to college to get a better education and further their aims in life.  But in many instances they will need financial assistance to make this happen.  Anything from scholarships to grants to other financial loans can all combine to help college become a reality for many single people, whether they have children or not.

If you are in a similar situation and you want to apply for financial aid of some kind, you will need to fill out a FAFSA before you do anything else.  This is the form for Free Application for Federal Student Aid.  A lot of organizations and other lenders who give money to students will require this to be filled out before they will agree to handing out any financial aid at all.

Obviously you will want to know how to fill out this form to the best of your ability, to make the whole process as easy as possible.  This isn’t exactly an easy form to fill out, because a lot of information is required to make sure you get the right degree of financial aid that you need.  As such the best way to do it is online, by going to the FAFSA.ed.gov website.

Once you arrive on the home page of this site you will see they have a simple three step organized way of completing your FAFSA form.  The first step is actually focused on making sure you know what kind of information you will need to complete the form successfully.  Obviously the more organized you are to begin with, the easier the whole process will be.  This section also has information on when the dates are for the deadline for sending in your completed form.  In order to be considered for financial aid, whether you are a single mom or you fall into any other category, you should make sure the form is in with plenty of time to spare.

The advantage of filling out the form online means you can submit it over the internet.  This means it is sent straightaway and you don’t have to worry about delays in the mail, or the possibility of it getting lost altogether.  You can also fill out part of it and come back to it if you wish at a later date, say if you need to gather some more information to complete it.

There is also the advantage that you have all the assistance and information you need on the same website, without having to go looking for it.  You may want to keep certain tabs open in your browser while you are completing the form as well.  This will enable you to read the advice and information you need on how to fill it out.

In short, doing this online is by far the best way to go about it.  You can also get a PIN which will allow you to complete your application by signing it electronically – quickly, easily and much more efficiently than doing it any other way.