For the next three months, seniors have the opportunity to sign up for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), a program that helps them financially with their college plans. According to the FAFSA website, “Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded financial assistance for education beyond high school” (fafsa.edu.gov).
In the state of California, seniors have until March 2, 2012 to apply for financial aid. Counselor Clayton Ballard highly recommends that seniors to apply as early as possible, however, so they can receive the fullest benefit possible from FAFSA.
Ballard explained, “It’s very important for seniors to complete the FAFSA process as soon as they possibly can, because if they wait too long they’ll end up with what’s left over of the grant, which won’t be as much as they could have received.”
Senior Demar Jackson has already taken this into account and has begun the process. He said, “I’ve already started applying to FAFSA. I could use all the financial help I can possibly get because aid is going to be a major role when I enter college. The process took about an hour to complete, but once finished, you feel more relieved about the likelihood of receiving financial aid. The FAFSA program isn’t something to procrastinate on.”
Applying for FAFSA is vital for seniors who want or need extra financial stability during college. It provides money to help pay for tuition, books, and other such amenities during the student’s college experience (fafsa.edu.gov). Senior Demi Hingeley is in the process of applying for the program, keeping in mind how the money can help her with her future. She said, “I’m thinking about the long run, because I don’t want to come out of college in debt. I want to be independent and college loans will only hold me back.”