Complete the FASFA

From the New York Times:

"Hundreds of thousands of students are missing out on free college aid because they are not completing a pesky federal form known as the Fafsa, a new analysis finds.

Roughly 1.7 million high school graduates didn’t file the Free Application for Federal Student Aid in the 2020-21 school year. And just under half of them — about 813,000 students — were eligible for federal Pell Grants aimed at low-income students, according to a report by the National College Attainment Network, a nonprofit group that works on behalf of low-income and minority students. The average grant, which doesn’t need to be repaid, would have been almost $4,500."

College can literally carry a hundreds of thousands of dollars price tag, especially for families with multiple children looking to go. So it pays to get educated on how things work. And even if you won't qualify for need-based aid, filling out the FASFA is still worthwhile. It remains the gateway for parental and student loans that are not need-based. And many schools still require it to calculate merit-based aid. Not to mention, everyone's situation changes from year-to-year.

So consider this a friendly reminder to not be dismissive of the FASFA because you earn too much money. Ron Lieber's book remains an incredible resource on the topic at large.