The Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA is now open after a delay of about three months.
Filling out the FAFSA allows colleges and the federal government to determine how much aid a student is eligible for. The form is used to determine eligibility for federal grants and loans as well as the state grant, Access Missouri.
Kaitlyn Venta, director of affordability with the Missouri College and Career Attainment Network or MOCAN, said it's important that students headed to college in the fall complete the FAFSA "because it can help students get the money that they need to be able to go to college."
Changes to the FAFSA, including to the formula used to determine eligibility, resulted in the delay. But Venta is optimistic those changes will benefit families.
"The Office of Federal Student Aid has said that this new formula means that more families will be eligible and that some will get additional aid," she said.
Deadlines vary from college to college, but the FAFSA must be completed by April 1, 2024 to be considered for Access Missouri.
Venta said it only takes about an hour to fill out the FAFSA. She said both parents and students must first create their own federal student aid I.D.s. It takes a few days to verify those, and then they can go in and complete the form. She said helpful information to have includes value of assets and assets of any businesses, 2022 tax information and the list of colleges where a student is planning to apply.
MOCAN, a nonprofit that works to increase equity in college and careers for Missouri students, will host a workshop for high school advisors and counselors Thursday, January 11 in Springfield. It's designed to help them better understand what has changed with the FAFSA and how the changes will impact students and families. The workshop will be held from 8 to noon at Ozarks Technical Community College.
Find out more at mofafsa.org.
