In education, we teach kids that being early improves their odds of success – early to start your homework, early to study for finals, early to practice.
When it comes to financial aid for college, a similar principle applies. Preparing early to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) can help students qualify for more scholarships, not to mention $10,000+ in combined state and federal grants!
This year, with the FAFSA launch delayed from October to December, it might be tempting to encourage students to wait and complete it in January. But why wait when students might get an edge on college scholarships by preparing – and then completing – early.
To help your students get ahead of the pack, work with them right now:
Fall 2023 FAFSA Action Plan
Visit www.itsforyou.org and download the promotional graphics for your school.
Plan a school campaign to discuss the FAFSA with your district’s 12th graders.
Encourage each student to create a Federal Student Aid account (aka FSA ID) right now. This is the first step in the FAFSA process and it can be done today. Visit https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch to learn more.
Set a goal for your FAFSA completion numbers this academic year – can you get five more students than last year?
Participate in FAFSA training through OASFAA – https://www.oasfaa.org/counselors. Sessions run the gamut from a recorded webinar to workshops across the state, running from October 10 through November 15, 2023.
When the FAFSA form rolls out in December, your students will be the early birds! These steps could help them, while simultaneously reducing the number of students in your office in January. We expect a possible FSA ID crunch after the FAFSA launch. You just might make January just a little less hectic with legwork from October to December.
More than $108M in federal aid is left unused by Ohio students each year. Your early efforts can help ensure this money isn’t left on the table!
7,395 Reasons to Complete the FAFSA
May 25, 2023
Welcome to the Ohio FAFSA Completion Dashboard!
If you haven’t done so yet, go ahead and type the name of your school district into the search bar to find out how your district “stacks up” compared to others nationally and in Ohio.
You might be surprised how many students in your community are skipping the Free Application for Federal Student Aid.
Does $7,395 per year sound like a lot of money? It does to us. That’s the maximum Pell grant award in 2023-2024. It represents how much the federal government is willing to give Ohio’s highest financial need students to fund their education after high school.
And Pell isn’t just for college. Even if you pursue welding, nursing, and other skilled trades, you may be entitled to federal Pell grants to pay for school. Many students don’t know this, however.
Some students also don’t realize how many Ohio colleges have decided to offer free tuition for Pell students. The Ohio State University and Ohio University currently both have programs to cover tuition for students who qualify for Pell. This is a huge benefit.
It is important we have this discussion: “How do we avoid leaving this money on the table?”
The conversation starts with taking a look at our school’s FAFSA completion percentage and then asking ourselves if we have done enough to reach every student who might benefit from this funding.
Visit us throughout the year to learn more about districts in Ohio that are standing out with strong FAFSA completion rates and engaged students working to maximize their opportunity in life.
