Holiday shopping dominates the headlines and airwaves this time of year, but it's also when teenagers and young adults are deep into thinking about one of the most important financial decisions of their lives: whether and where to go to college.
And the primary tool in that decision is the document that must be filled out before each new academic year: the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA.
The application is updated every year, with the newest form becoming available around Oct. 1 in both printed form (10 pages including instructions) and on the government's financial aid website — studentaid.gov. It can be filled out in English or Spanish.
