April 2017 - EASTERN OREGON PARENT - 15
Don’t let your kid miss out on federal student aid
By SUZANNE KENNEDY
FAFSA! If you have a high school
student, you may have heard this
term thrown around as college ap-
plication time approaches. The Free
Application for Federal Student Aid,
or FAFSA, can seem a bit over-
whelming or confusing as first, but
don’t let that deter you. Regardless
of your family’s income level, the
FAFSA is the first step to getting any
financial aid for college.
Federal Student Aid, which is an
office of the Department of Educa-
tion, was created in 1965 under
Title IV of the Higher Education Act.
It provides more than $150 billion
each year in the form of grants,
work studies, and loans. More
than 13 million students are the
recipients, out of about 22 million
applicants. That’s a lot of zeros and
pretty good odds.
You might think it isn’t for your
student if your child isn’t going to a
traditional four-year college — but
you’d be wrong. There are almost
7,000 secondary institutions that
accept the FAFSA, including com-
munity colleges, massage
therapy schools, hair de-
sign, cosmetology, cook-
ing, law school, dental
school and even piano
tuning school! Planning
to attend school out-
side the U.S.? Not
a problem. Even
schools in foreign
countries accept
it.
The online ap-
plication is long
(about 100 ques-
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tions), but it’s free and you can
submit it to as many places as you
want. Experts say complete the
application even if you think you
won’t qualify. Here’s why:
• Many financial aid programs,
including those not based at
all on income, require a
completed application
in order to qualify. For
example, the Oregon
Promise, a state grant for
students who don’t qualify
for need-based aid, lists it
as a requirement. Everyone
is eligible for some type
of aid, but you can’t
access it without
the FAFSA.
•
Most colleges
use FAFSA informa-
tion when determin-
ing
whether or not to award
a merit scholarship. They might
see that a student just missed
qualifying for federal aid and
so be more willing to award a
merit-based scholarship because
the family perceives a financial
need. They require this docu-
ment to be submitted.
• More expensive schools award
aid to more middle- and upper-
class families because of the
higher tuition.
• Filling out the FAFSA gives you
an edge. Students who don’t fill
it out are less likely to enroll, and
college admissions teams don’t
want to waste their time on
students who aren’t as serious
about attending.
Filling out the FAFSA is time
consuming, but it shouldn’t be too
complicated if you prepare ahead
of time. You’ll want to collect some
Education
financial information first. Gather
your Social Security number, your
most recent federal tax returns,
bank and investment statements,
and an FSA ID to sign the form elec-
tronically. Get an FSA ID online at
fsaid.ed.gov/npas/index.htm.
Here are some common mis-
takes to avoid when filling out the
FAFSA:
• Don’t leave any blanks. If it
doesn’t apply to you, put a zero.
• Use the 1040 federal tax return
so you aren’t leaving any income
out.
• If a student’s parents are di-
vorced, use the information of
the parent with whom the stu-
dent resides most often (more
than half the time).
• Don’t wait. The form opens in
October. There are a few differ-
ent due dates that can get con-
fusing (state, school, etc.). Some
grants are available only while
funds last. Getting it done early
ensures you won’t miss out.
• If you have any questions at all,
be sure to call the helpline: 800-
433-3243. Better safe than sorry.
As Jill Gregg of the ASPIRE
program at Pendleton High School
says, “FAFSA is the stepping stone
to the world of financial aid pos-
sibilities.”
________
Suzanne Kennedy is a former middle
school teacher who lives in Pend-
leton with her husband and three
children.