Every year, seniors await the release of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to help them prepare for their futures. The FAFSA is available to all students nation-wide, but it is mostly filled out by seniors. It allows college to be more accessible to students, especially those from low-income families, by giving financial aid to students who qualify for it. With FAFSA about to open this month, many students have been eager to fill out the form in hopes of receiving financial aid that will make planning for the future much simpler.

In the past, FAFSA has been open at the beginning of October. However, this year’s opening date for filling out the form was postponed until December. This move was due to changes in the applications’ formulas and format. Some of these format changes will make applying for the FAFSA much simpler and more efficient. For example, the number of questions on the application has decreased from 108 to 46. Another helpful change is that applicants can now list 20 colleges on their FAFSA, as opposed to the previous 10. The FAFSA also now recognizes when a family has multiple children going to college, which will help factor an accurate amount of aid any particular student shall receive. An additional modification to the format includes alteration to how the application approaches reporting income. In the past, students were required to report practically any money given to them to support their college dream. However, this year, there are many things that do not have to be reported. This list includes support from grandparents or other family members, such as a college savings plan, veteran’s benefits, workman’s compensation and more. While this delay has caused a bit of suspense for students, the wait is almost officially over.

“I am excited for FAFSA because I would like to get a better idea on my options to pay for college. The numbers are pretty intimidating, so any money at all would really help me out,” senior Chase Grable said.

FAFSA is something that many students rely on year after year. College can be extremely expensive, and scholarships can be difficult to obtain. This steep price tag on education can deter, and even inhibit, many students from attending college and gaining the schooling they deserve. Luckily, FAFSA allows for students to receive financial aid based upon their guardians’ income and many other factors that play a role in one’s ability to afford college. 

According to data gathered by the National Center for Education Statistics, over 85% of students receive financial aid each year. FAFSA is immensely beneficial to most students, and it is always worth filling out, as the chances of receiving some sort of financial aid are relatively high. Making education more attainable is extremely important, especially in a time where most high-paying jobs require some sort of college degree. There are many other forms of aid to allow this to happen for most students, and FAFSA is one of the most helpful.

“FAFSA gives me the chance to receive both merit and need-based scholarships as I debate what college to commit four years of my life to. It helps to ensure everyone can obtain a college degree, not only those better off than others financially,” senior Logan Larrick said.