With college comes an array of new experiences, increased responsibility, and a whole lot of financial aid. As of Jan 1, 2016, the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, otherwise known as FAFSA, is available for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year.  

FAFSA is an application that upcoming and current college students and their families fill out in order to receive financial aid.

Student aid can come from several different areas: the US federal government, the state in which one resides, the schools a student plan to attend, and non-private or private organizations.  $150 billion is provided in financial aid each year to over 13 million students who are paying for college or career school.

With college tuition growing annually and student debt at its highest, it is important that all families with students in their senior year of high school and current college students to fill out the application to receive any financial help possible.

When beginning the application process, parents will need to have either completed their taxes from the prior tax year. If taxes have not been filed, the FAFSA form can still be submitted with an estimate of their gross income and other tax information. After submission, families can then fill in the finalized tax information once it has been obtained

Other questions that are asked on the application include family and household background information. The combination of the different questions asked are used to determine those who are eligible to receive financial aid.

The office of Federal Student Aid reviews all applications and provides several different forms of financial aid, including grants, work studies, and federal loans for both students and parents.

The deadline to submit applications is June 30th, but it is smart to complete it sooner than later to receive as much funding as possible. Many schools have priority deadlines for maximum aid consideration, so be sure to research these deadlines for schools you are wishing to attend.

An informative meeting and workshop about FAFSA and paying for college will be held on Sat. Jan 23 at 10 a.m. in room N106.

When beginning the application process, be sure to use the official FSA website, as there are many scam websites used to trick students into applying in the wrong place. The FAFSA application can be found at fafsa.ed.gov.