Do you love freebies? It seems like everybody loves free stuff–so why not complete the FAFSA and get the chance to have free money to pay for college? For those students who will be attending college in the future, filling out the FAFSA can be a very daunting task.

What is the FAFSA anyway? The FAFSA, or Free Application for Federal Student Aid, offers grants, loans, and the opportunity to work in specific jobs to help pay for your studies. The FAFSA usually only takes people around half an hour to fill out and can be the next step to college for many high school students. Reagan Putnam, senior, says, “It probably only took me 45 minutes. It was super easy. It told me exactly what to do while I was filling it out.”

Here’s how it works: You need to use your parent’s income and other information from their tax returns to file the application. Based on your application, you may qualify for the Federal government to give you money to go to college, or to give you the opportunity to get a loan at a lower, federal interest rate. If you qualify, you might be eligible to get specific jobs on your campus to help pay for your educational expenses too.

The FAFSA webpage announces, “The new 2017-2018 FAFSA is here and earlier than ever! FYI: Some states and schools have limited funds, so don’t delay!” Students are now able to submit their parent’s 2015 tax information to determine the amount of financial aid they can receive.

Although many people put off applying for financial aid, students are encouraged to submit their information online, utilizing the FAFSA website, as soon as possible due to the possibility of federal funds running out.

Even if you don’t qualify for federal funds, you could still get some money through FAFSA.  “Some aid you can get from the FAFSA isn’t based on financial need; there are a lot of academic scholarships that require you to submit a FAFSA,” Megan Friebe posts on Homeroom: the Official Blog of the U.S. Department of Education in a September article titled Why You Should Fill Out the FAFSA ASAP. Scholarships often look at the FAFSA results of students to determine who receives the scholarship. Some scholarships have early deadlines, therefore it is beneficial to have the FAFSA filed sooner rather than later.

The FAFSA website has a tool to help determine which college is the right fit for you by comparing the prices of different schools with the School Code Search tab. The website is also helpful if you need assistance finding the information needed.
Don’t delay your FAFSA application any longer–file today at https://fafsa.ed.gov/.