FAFSA - For me?

Every year there are senior students or their families who question if they should actually fill out the FAFSA since they "know" that they will not qualify for need based aid. And the reality is if you are in that situation it is very tempting to just skip doing the FAFSA, but we would still strongly encourage you to complete it!

Why?

Because the colleges tell us there are lots of reasons that families should fill out the FAFSA no matter what. Here are a few of those reasons:

1. Some colleges award a FAFSA filing grant. (Grants are similar to scholarships in that you don't have to pay them back. So that is free money for filling out the FAFSA.)
2. There are scholarships that will only be considered after a student has completed the FAFSA in order for a student to be eligible for them.
3. Circumstances can change. Having a FAFSA on file allows for the financial aid offices to be able to help students pivot with a faster process if something bad happens such as a parent loses a job and can no longer cover the college costs as anticipated.
4. It allows for students/ families to have the option of taking out student loans if needed. (Which could be just because you don't have the money on hand to pay or because of those changed circumstances mentioned above in #2.)
5. Having a FAFSA on file signals to financial aid offices that the family is interested in aid (need or merit). That tells colleges that this is not a "cost doesn't matter at all" scenario.

The colleges have said repeatedly that they understand that there will be families who fill out the FAFSA and have a high SAI, but just because you never know what now or the future holds, they still recommend you fill it out and therefore, we also recommend you fill it out too.

**Just a reminder, this post is also being shared on the NEW WKHS Counselor blog. This blog site will no longer be active beyond 2025 so you can transition to receive all blog posts emailed directly to you by subscribing to the new blog site.**