College admissions are stressful in many ways. Especially if it is a family’s first time having a child apply to college and get accepted. Applicants are worried about the getting the best education,, where they will live, how much everything will cost and much more. The thing that families are most stressed about is money. Applying for financial aid using the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FASFA) can help with the cost of college is multiple ways.
FASFA offers financial aid, scholarships, grants, and loans for families that apply. Give specifics about what type of aid is available for what household incomes AND how schools use it for awarding merit-based scholarships as well.
“It is something that they should do every year while they are in college regardless of their parents income,” Career Guidance Tech Jamie Brown said.
Poway High School is hosting a Financial Aid Application Workshop on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 9 a.m. to noon where counselors, AVID teachers and volunteers will be there to help students and families fill out the FASFA application and any scholarships, grants or loans they want to apply for. It is an opportunity for families to meet students’ counselors and get a better understanding of how the application process works and how the college process works as well.
“It helped me with my applications, because it gave me an idea of how much money I would be receiving when I was going to college, so it helped me pick which college was more of a fit for me,” class of 2024 graduate Bianca Mikes said.
Counselors and AVID teachers at the workshop will also help students with picking a college that is affordable and the most appealing to them and their families.
Financial Aid is something that everyone should apply to if they applied to a college. The amount of income your family receives is not the only part of receiving financial aid. There are hundreds of scholarships that require FASFA and students can find ones that pair with their major or what they are interested in. The scholarships are a good opportunity to find out what students are interested in and can possibly lead to a career while also getting money to pay for your college. They could lead to many opportunities in college like internships and jobs.
FASFA offers “Financial aid opportunities; some students will qualify for need-based aid while other students are able to have scholarship opportunities,” AVID teacher Sherry Lockie.
At the FASFA workshop, to complete the application you will need a laptop or chromebook, FSA ID, student/parent full legal name, dates of birth, social security number, USCIS number (if you have one), student/parent marital status, 2023 income ( IRS 1040s and W2s), records of untaxed income, cash, checking, savings, balances and investment amounts.
