It's Not Too Late to Complete The FAFSA!

Are you a high school senior who hasn’t filed their FAFSA? Keep reading!

There may have been many reasons you didn’t file your FAFSA, but we want to remind you that it’s not too late to do it now! To be considered for financial aid for the 2023-2024 school year, the national FAFSA deadline isn’t until June 30, 2024 (be sure you know your state’s FAFSA deadline as well). This means that there’s still time for you to submit and increase your chances of receiving financial aid for college!

Here are some reasons why you should complete the FAFSA now if you haven’t yet!

You have more options

While the FAFSA is an important form, it’s not binding. This means that when you complete it, you are not required to accept any of the aid it offers to you or to attend any of the schools you listed in your FAFSA just because they’re offering you aid. Instead, when you complete the FAFSA, you are open to more options and opportunities. Here are three ways the FAFSA gives you options:

1. You have more college options. Let’s say you got accepted to a school you’d like to attend, but it costs more than you can afford. By completing the FAFSA, you only higher your chances of receiving both federal and institutional aid that can make this school more affordable! After completing the FAFSA and receiving your aid offer from the school, you may realize that attending it is much more realistic and doable than you had previously thought.
2. You have more financial aid options. A large majority of financial aid (including scholarships, loans, and grants) is awarded to students only if they’ve already completed the FAFSA. This means that when you complete the FAFSA, you are eligible for federal, state-based, and private forms of aid that can significantly cut down your college costs. Win-win-win!
3. You have more job options. Did you know that completing the FAFSA can even help you land a job? Question 31 of the FAFSA asks if you’d like to be considered for work-study, which is a federal aid program that offers part-time job opportunities to students at participating colleges. When you select yes on question 31, you may become eligible to work part-time on-campus jobs that can give you money to help pay for tuition or living expenses!

There’s money out there for you

Every year, Federal Student Aid provides around $112 billion in financial aid to incoming and current college students who have completed the FAFSA. However, a lot of this money goes unclaimed annually. In fact, graduating high school seniors in 2022 left nearly $4 billion of Pell Grants unclaimed. That’s essentially free money that was left on the table!

(Learn everything you need to know about Pell Grants here!)

Even if you are unsure of your family’s financial situation or your eligibility to receive aid, it’s still worth completing the FAFSA regardless. You never know how much aid you’ll be offered until you try!

You can receive free FAFSA help

You don’t need to navigate this process on your own! There are plenty of free resources available that can support you through completing and submitting your FAFSA. Here’s a few:

1. Our FAFSA textline. Speaking of text, we can support you over the phone through our FAFSA textline! Click here to sign up or text #FAFSA to 33-55-77 to speak with one of our advisors and have all your questions answered!
2. Our free FAFSA resources. We have lots of resources to help you understand the purpose of the FAFSA, how to complete and submit your FAFSA, any deadlines you should be aware of, and more!
3. FAFSA workshops. Each state has free FAFSA help through in-person and digital FAFSA workshops, online FAFSA resources and modules, and FAFSA support specialists you can reach over the phone or text.

Receiving the financial support you need can make transitioning to college so much easier and smoother, so we strongly encourage you to make a plan to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible! Have any questions or need support? We’re always here to help! Text #FAFSA to 33-55-77 to speak with one of our advisors. If you're using a mobile device, click here to have the text message set up for you!